


Give Me a Different Look

by Batteryafter



Category: Kpop - Fandom, VAV (Band)
Genre: Angst, Blood, Blood Kink, Death, Former Members, Happy Ending, I promise, It jumps around a lot timeline wise, Jacob has a very minor part, M/M, Magic, Mind Reader, Multi, Murder, One of these tags is a lie, Pain, Prophetic Visions, Smut, Strangers to Lovers, Vampires, Violence, Visions, accidental murder, dont worry there are cute parts and it can sometimes be chill
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2020-11-24 03:11:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20900699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Batteryafter/pseuds/Batteryafter
Summary: Time used to feel so longNow it feels so shortIt’s only possible because of youIn this place where everything else crumblesYou saved me





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some characters have twitter! Follow them:  
@yoonho_noh  
@Virgo_Wooyoung  
@GeumhyukL

“Yoonho?” His friend, Geumhyuk, waves his hands in front of his face as Yoonho suddenly stops walking.

Yoonho blinks rapidly and shakes his head slightly while shifting his shoulders back. “Sorry- I uh-” They begin to travel down the street again.

“Did you have another vision?” The older whispers, seeing his friend attempt to hide the pain his visions normally cause.

Yoonho drops down and grabs his head as it begins to pound. His vision blurs while he attempts to get out of the way of the people walking past. Geumhyuk picks the younger up and helps him to the side. Yoonho falls to the ground and pulls his legs to his chest, burying his head in his arms.

“I need to go to Wooyoung's. His friend is about to die.”

Geumhyuk sputters as his friend suddenly stands, running down the road. He follows after, attempting to catch up with Yoonho. The tall boy continues on until he reaches a large, modern apartment building. He feels a sharp sting behind his eyes and drops down to the concrete, on all fours. Geumhyuk gets to him and places his hand lightly over his friend’s back.

Yoonho’s body trembles as he gasps and coughs wildly while his friend tries his best to comfort him. He stares at his scraped and bloody palms and winces.

“Why the fuck am I seeing this guy? I don’t even know his fucking name! “ Yoonho rubs the back of his fingers against his eyes. “Hell, I didn’t even know what he really looked like until 2 minutes ago.”

“What did you see?” Geumhyuk asks, not sure he wants to exactly hear the details.

“Just-so much fucking blood and screaming. Wooyoung was there. They were so loud. He was begging for his life.”

Geumhyuk doesn’t push for more information, seeing the obvious discomfort on Yoonho’s face. He helps Yoonho stand to his feet and keeps his arm wrapped around his waist as they walk into the building.

Wooyoung is surprised to see his two closest friends at his door. He awkwardly greets the two and invites them in. They make their way towards the living room. Wooyoung clearly notices Yoonho’s anxiety as the boy sits on the chair in the corner. Yoonho wrings his hands, taking a long and loud breath.

“Is everything okay?” Wooyoung asks with a brow raised. He knows about Yoonho’s visions but usually tries to ignore them, admittedly terrified by them.

“What’s your friend’s name? Tall, brown hair? Big ears?” Yoonho looks up to Wooyoung while bouncing his knees.

“My name’s Hosung-” A boy suddenly appears from down the hall. “Why do you ask?”

Yoonhoo stares at the man that now stands in front of him. He blinks a few times, feeling his heart suddenly flip in his chest. “Uh-just wondering.”

“And who are you, Mr. Wonderer?”

“Uh-”

“Pretty name.”

Hosung sits on the couch and smiles at Yoonho. He then meets eyes with Geumhyuk, who is standing beside Wooyoung.

“Can I atleast get your name?” Hosung chuckles while sitting back comfortably.

“Geumhyuk.” He then points to his friend. “And that idiot is Yoonho.”

A loud laugh escapes Hosung's lips and he extends his hand towards Yoonho. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”

Yoonho just stares blankly, seeing another sudden flash of the future take over his vision. “I'm sorry.” He looks to the boy, eyes beginning to redden and voice cracking slightly. “I'm so sorry.”

Hosung's face twists in confusion as Yoonho tries to leave. Wooyoung stops him. A tear involuntarily falls down Yoonho's cheek as he feels his body give out. He collapses to the floor, head hitting the carpet just as he blacks out. The three rush to him, Wooyoung and Geumhyuk picking him up. They lay him carefully on the couch, his arm falling limp off the side.

“Should we take him to the hospital?” Hosung shakes, slightly in shock.

“No, they can't help him. This just happens.” Geumhyuk tells the boy, not wanting to tell him the truth.

Wooyoung begins to feel sick. Why did Yoonho apologize to Hosung? Did he have a vision about him?

Yoonho opens his eyes and sways his head to the side. He reaches out for Geumhyuk's hand, grabbing it weakly.

“I need to go home.” He whimpers.

“Wait- Yoonho, you need to tell me about your nightmare.” Wooyoung swallows hard, using the code about the visions that they use in public places.

“Well,” Yoonho sits himself up, thinking about how to word this, “in short, someone important died and it wasn't pretty. And we all know the person that killed them.”

Wooyoung glances over to Hosung and then back to Yoonho, who lightly nods over to the boy. “Like- murder?”

“Like very murder. Screaming, begging, blood everywhere. It was the most vivid nightmare I've ever fucking had.”

“Was it me?” Everyone turns to look at Hosung as he sits forward. “Is that why you asked who I was?”

“I don't know, probably not. I've never seen your face before today. I just heard a lot about you and was curious.” Yoonho gets worse with his lies as he continues.

Geumhyuk calls his own roommate to get Yoonho out of this situation as fast as possible. Yoonho mouths a thank you to him before covering his face with his hands.

“Hey, don't worry.” Hosung leans over and pats Yoonho on the knee. “It was just a dream.”

\--

Yoonho unlocks his front door and pushes into his apartment. He slides his feet down the hall, just ready to fall asleep.

“Who's Hosung?” Yoonho turns and jumps, seeing his roommate smirking at him in the kitchen.

“Fucking mind reader, asshole.” Yoonho sighs, walking over and staring tiredly at the boy.

“Oh- oh shit, that's really fucking serious.”

“Chung hyeop, what the fuck do I do?” He sits at the table and buries his head in his hands. “I'm so scared.”

“I-I wish I could help. Do you know what happens exactly?”

“No! It just seems like it just suddenly happens and it makes me anxious that I know who kills him.”

“Have you ever been able to stop a vision before?”

“I've never stopped them but I have postponed them.”

Chung Hyeop stops and stares at Yoonho for a few seconds. “Did you seriously just think that?”

Yoonho's head hits against the table top and he lets out a frustrated groan. “He's really pretty.”

“You're a fucking shit-show.” Chung Hyeop grabs his drink from the counter and begins to walk out, stopping to pat Yoonho on the shoulder. “Good luck, buddy.”

He makes his exit and Yoonho just stares blankly at the wall. His head still pounds from all the visions he’s had in just a short amount of time. Usually, he will get maybe one a week. And they are always mild things like someone tripping or a small fender bender. Nothing ever like murder in cold blood.

_Ding_

Yoonho reaches into his pocket and pulls his phone out. He sits up suddenly as he stares at the text.

[New Contact Available - 6:12pm]: Yoonho? This is Hosung. Wooyoung gave me your number, I hope you don’t mind.

[Yoonho? - 6:13pm]: Hey, yeah it’s Yoonho..What’s up?

[Hosung - 6:15pm]: Just wondering if you’re okay. Kinda worried about you earlier.Your friend said you pass out often. Can I ask why or if you know why?

[Yoonho - 6:17pm]: oh, yeah. I’m fine, thank you..I have a stress disorder.

_It's so much easier to lie over text.._

[Hosung - 6:20pm]: I’m sorry..is that what causes your nightmares? I’m sorry for asking all these questions. You said you were curious about me and it made me curious about you.

Yoonho’s head drops back down onto the table and he lets out a loud groan. Chung Hyeop runs back in with a huge smile on his face.

“That’s so cute!” He laughs loudly.

“Get the fuck out!” Yoonho picks up a spoon and chucks it at his roommate.

“Date that boy!” Chung Hyeop moves out of the way before the silverware hits him.

“He dies!” Yoonho glares at him.

“You don’t know when. Make his life memorable in the meantime.”

“I don’t even know if he actually likes me.”

Yoonho sees his roommate smirk, crossing his arms. “I can find out for you.”

A smirk now grows across Yoonho’s mouth. He turns his phone screen back on.

[Yoonho - 6:38pm]: come over then, I’m an open book.

[Hosung - 6:41pm]: wait like for real?  
[Hosung - 6:41pm]: what’s your address.

Yoonho holds his breath as he proceeds to tell this complete stranger exactly where he lives.

“Oh my god, I’m a fucking moron.” He begins to stand but a flash in his vision forces him to the floor. “Shit.”

Chung Hyeop helps him to his feet, placing him back into the chair. Yoonho feels his chest tighten, keeping a tight grip on his roommate's arm. His head slams forward, softened by his arm resting in front of him. He slowly looks back up to Chung Hyeop and feels something drip from his nose. The two stare silently as Yoonho places his fingers to the blood.

“Fuck-” He gasps at another flash. “No, no, no. That can’t happen.”

“Yoonho, this isn’t normal.” Chung Hyeop fears for his health.

He jumps back as Yoonho’s body flies to the side, colliding hard against the linoleum. Yoonho yells out, grabbing his head with tears streaming down his cheeks. Chung Hyeop drops to him and pulls him into his lap.

“Why-Why will this happen?” Yoonho trembles, refusing to open his eyes for a moment.

“Are you okay?”

“Of fucking course not!” He sighs. “I’m fine.”

Chung Hyeop helps him sit up, keeping a hand on his back just incase. Yoonho catches his breath before standing to his feet. He carefully walks to the living room, Chung Hyeop following closely behind.

“Do I even want to look?” Chung Hyeop looks to Yoonho.

Yoonho simply shakes his head,staring at his feet. The two sit and wait for Hosung to arrive at their front door. Chung Hyeop’s head perks up as he hears thought with an unfamiliar voice. Yoonho notices him looking around before there is a knock on the door. They both jump and chuckle at themselves. Yoonho watches his roommate stand to answer the door.

“Oh-hello!” The boy looks across to Chung Hyeop with an awkward smile.

Chung Hyeop stares at him, feeling his pulse spike. “Welcome. You must be Hosung?”

He steps to the side to let Hosung make his entrance. “Yes. Sorry, I don’t think I know your name.”

“Chung Hyeop.” His smile falls as Hosung leans down to untie his shoes. He begins to walk to the living room.

Yoonho looks up to him and clearly notices something off. “What did you-”

“Shh.” He shakes his head rapidly before mouthing oh my god.

Hosung slowly enters the room, waving to Yoonho. He smiles and gestures for him to sit. Chung Hyeop keeps to Yoonho’s side, sitting back and staring emotionlessly at the boy. Yoonho sits forward, knowing that something must be off about him.

“So.” Yoonho gets Hosung’s attention. “What are you curious about?” His head tilts to the side as he maintains his smile.

Hosung sits quietly for a moment, clearly thinking of the best things to say. “Hm-”

“Jesus christ.” The two look to Chung Hyeop as he stares at Hosung with bewilderment. Yoonho nudges his leg and gives a ‘what the fuck?’ look. “Sorry.”

Hosung looks to the boy, feeling like he was able to read his thoughts. He shakes it off and looks back to Yoonho. “What are your preferences when dating? Like-guys? Girls?”

“I date whoever the fuck I find attractive.” Yoonho blinks, never really been asked about his sexuality before.

“What about you? Got a question for me?”

“I do.” Chung Hyeop sits up and glares. “How’d you meet Wooyoung?”

“Oh-” The boy shifts nervously but Chung Hyeop widens his eyes, hearing everything running through his head. “I used to work at the cafe part time.”

“And?” He smiles, finding it fun to mess with this kid. "Is that all?"

“That’s all.” Hosung pauses as Chung Hyeop just shakes his head at him, smile still plastered across his face. “Wha-”

“Chung Hyeop, quit.” Yoonho shoots him a dirty look.

Hosung’s face is visibly a shade lighter than it originally was. He stares at Chung Hyeop. “Did-”

“Yes.”

Yoonho facepalms as the boy stands to his feet at record speeds. He gets up as well and attempts to grab Hosung before he runs out. As soon as he touches him, a flash completely blinds him. This vision is different, he can feel everything that Hosung will soon feel. He screams and cries out, falling to his knees, feeling as if he has been hit in the back with a heavy object.

“Help-” He whimpers.

Chung Hyeop leaps to him as he falls motionless onto the floor. The only movement coming from his twitching fingers.

“Don’t you fucking dare, Hosung.” He snaps his head up to him.

“What the_ fuck_?” Hosung yells, not sure what is happening.

“Sit.”

He does just that after Chung Hyeop angrily points to the chair. Hosung holds his breath and tries to figure out what the fuck was happening. Chung Hyeop turns Yoonho over to see his nose bleeding and his lip split open. He carefully picks him up and places him on the couch. Hosung watches him run to the kitchen to grab his cell phone.

“Geumhyuk, what the fuck is happening?” Chung Hyeop rushes back to the living room.

“You’re gonna need to be more specific.” Geumhyuk raises a brow despite talking on the phone.

“Yoonho is like bleeding and it's like he's feeling everything he sees in his-” He pauses, looking to Hosung, “nightmares.”

There is a long sigh on the other end. “Son of a bitch. They’re soulmates.” Geumhyuk growls in frustration. “The vision has to come true or they both die.”

Chung Hyeop looks at Yoonho then back to Hosung, feeling his stomach twist. Yoonho’s chest rises and falls out of rhythm.

“There’s nothing Heejun and I can do. Hosung has to die.”

Out of frustration, Chung Hyeop hangs up and throws his phone. Yoonho gasps awake and coughs wildly, suddenly turning them into sobs. He buries his face into his roommate's chest, cries getting louder. Chung Hyeop tries his best to calm him down.

Hosung stands and slowly makes his way over to Yoonho. “What is happening?” He sounds genuinely concerned yet confused. “That isn't stress and that certain wasn't a nightmare. And you-” he looks to Chung Hyeop, “you fucking read my mind.”

“Listen. I've already heard a lot of shit from your head and I can easily use it against you. So, anything we tell you, has to stay between us.” Chung Hyeop tilts his head. “Got it?”

“O-okay. I promise I won't tell anyone. You can even check, I'm not lying.”

Chung Hyeop sighs and Yoonho pulls away from him. Yoonho wipes the blood away from his face and winces as he touches his lip. His body trembles violently, his pain slowly dissolving. The split in his lip stays open. He looks to Hosung and sighs.

“It won’t sound real but-” Yoonho looks to his hands. “I have this like-demon that possesses me and it like, attacks me sometimes. I know it sounds fucking stupid but it takes over my life.”

“And I just read minds.” Chung Hyeop shrugs, somehow able to keep himself from laughing at Yoonho’s insane lie.

“A demon?” Hosung raises a brow. “How the fuck?”

“You know those idiot teens that break into places and do stupid shit? I was one of those and we decided to go to this old bridge that had this stupid lore. None of us believed it but when I went home- I puked blood and passed out.”

Hosung just stares in complete disbelief and mild fear. He wants to call Yoonho out on making things up but there is no way he can explain what he’s seen so far.

“Just-please don’t tell anyone about it. I told Wooyoung it’s just nightmares. Geumhyuk knows and obviously Chung Hyeop does too. But if anyone finds out, they’ll call me crazy and I’m afraid I’ll lose my job.”

“I promise. This is between us.”

“God, boy, calm down. You’re not gonna die.” Chung Hyeop stops and Yoonho looks at him. They stare wide eyed for a few seconds but thankfully Hosung doesn’t seem to notice. “I’ve lived with Yoonho for 3 years now and it’s never attacked me.”

“Oh-okay. Can I go home now?”

Chung Hyeop can’t help but laugh. “Yeah. It might be for the best to leave.”

Hosung nods and lets out a quiet goodbye. He pats Yoonho on the shoulder, telling him he’d talk later. His exit is awkward at best. Yoonho’s jaw drops and he just stares into space. Chung Hyeop looks to his roommate and smacks him hard across the arm.

“That was the dumbest bullshit I’ve ever heard from you!” He scolds.

“I fucking know! But oh my god he fucking believed me!” Yoonho yells back. “At least I didn’t tell him he WON’T die!”

“God! We are so fucking stupid!”

Yoonho leans closer towards his roommate. “So, does he like me?”

“Oh my god, he is fucking obsessed with you.” He pauses. “Like-he’s into some crazy shit.”

“Like bondage?”

Chung Hyeop just gives him a look. “He’s got a lot secrets though.”

He sits down heavily on the couch and places his hand against Yoonho’s back. He keeps thinking about what Geumhyuk said. Does he tell Yoonho about it? Of course he should. Yoonho’s life is at stake. But knowing Yoonho, he’ll probably do something drastic.

Before Chung Hyeop can say anything, Yoonho’s phone begins to ring. The boy answers.

“Yoonho, Hosung just broke up with me.” He hears Wooyoung’s voice on the other end. “Why was he at your house and what did you say to him?”

“You were dating him?!” Yoonho yells out. “Oh my god, what?”

“Three fucking years! I’m gonna beat your ass!”

Yoonho’s jaw drops when Wooyoung hangs up the phone. “Well, fuck!”

Chung Hyeop just shakes his head. “You’re really fucking stupid.”

“How could I have known?! You didn't tell me!"

Yoonho growls, standing up and walking to this bedroom. He kicks a pile of clothes away and slinks over to his bed. His face buries into his pillow, pulling his arms underneath his head.

Wooyoung opens the front door and Hosung rushes inside. He is panting, as if he had ran there. Wooyoung stares at him, trying to wipe away the obvious evidence that he’s been crying.

“What the fuck, Wooyoung?” Hosung asks frantically.

“Huh?” Wooyoung blinks in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You have a friend that is possessed by a demon and another that reads fucking minds? Why am I just finding out about this?”

“Because if we had to keep our relationship a secret, I figured it was best if you didn’t know about my friends.” He stops. “Wait. Excuse me. What?”

“Am I going insane? Am I dying?”

“You’re not dying, Hosung.” Again, he pauses, remembering Yoonho’s vision. “It’s unfortunately all real.”

Hosung begins to pace in Wooyoung’s living room, pulling at his hair anxiously. Wooyoung just watches him have a mini meltdown.

“Are you really breaking up with me over my friends?” Wooyoung glares.

“I’m sorry. I just need some time to think.”

“Don’t worry. You can take all the time you need. I’ll find someone else in that time.”

Hosung stops and meets Wooyoung’s gaze. “Wooyoung-”

“Just go, Hosung.”

Tears well up in both of their eyes. Hosung lowers his head and slowly leaves the apartment. Wooyoung’s body trembles with a mixture of anger and depression. He just stares at the front door as he allows his tears to drop.

His body shakes as he grabs his keys and jacket, running out the door.

Yoonho jumps awake as his bedroom door is thrown open. Wooyoung charges towards him, grabbing his shirt and pulling him to the floor. Yoonho yells out, blocking some of the punches from Wooyoung. Chung Hyeop runs in and attempts to pull Wooyoung off of Yoonho.

“Couldn’t fucking see this coming, huh?” Wooyoung yells, fist colliding with Yoonho’s cheek.

“I’m not a fucking fortune teller!” Yoonho scoots back as Chung Hyeop gets Wooyoung off. “How the fuck was I supposed to know you were dating him?”

“Wooyoung, I don’t think you would have wanted to stay with him, anyway.” Chung Hyeop says, slowly letting his friend go.

“W-why?” Wooyoung stares over to him, still feeling his body tremble.

Yoonho wipes away a spot of blood from his lip with his thumb. “Well there is the glaring fact that he fucking dies!”

“And he may have already fallen in love with someone else. Very quickly. Like-at first kinda sight.”

Wooyoung falls quiet for a moment, slowly looking over to Yoonho. “Oh my god,you little asshole!” He runs at him again, raising his hand for another hit.

Yoonho is able to grab him and push him back. “Dude, this isn’t my fault!”

“Your stupid pretty face ruins everyone’s lives!”

“T-thank you?” He tilts his head. “I’m sorry?”

Wooyoung sighs and can’t help but laugh at his friend. Yoonho and Chung Hyeop just stare awkwardly, unsure if he's in hysterics or not. Wooyoung helps his friend off the floor and shakes his head in disbelief.

“Alright. I need a fucking drink.” Wooyoung laughs again.

“I’ll buy.” Yoonho says sheepishly.

“No he wont.” Chung Hyeop snorts.

“Is that because he can’t afford it or you will pay instead?” Wooyoung looks to him.

“Both.” The two reply.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**(1 year ago)**

Hosung unlocks his front door, ushering a tall and slightly drunk man into his loft. He leads him towards the living room, gesturing for him to take a seat. The man lies back into the couch, staring up to the ceiling for a moment before closing his eyes.

He doesn't pay attention to Hosung as he walks down the hallway towards his bedroom. The man can hear noises in the distance but doesn't investigate. There are faint footsteps behind him as Hosung walks back towards the room. Hosung begins to walk to the kitchen area.

"So, why do people call you Jacob?" Hosung shuffles around one of the drawers.

"I'm not really sure, but I guess it stuck." He keeps his eyes closed, feeling dizzy from the amount of liquor he drank earlier.

Hosung slowly makes his way to the man, pulling him up by his wrist. He slowly leads him to the bedroom. The man heavily falls back into the bed, pulling his head up to the pillows. Hosung crawls on top of him, sliding his shirt up to reveal his chest. He kisses the skin, move up from his hip to his collarbone. Hosung grabs his wrists and brings them above his head, tying them to the bedpost. He buries himself into the man's neck, making him twitch in pleasure.

The man gasps as he feels a sharp pain in his abdomen. He throws his head back, holding his breath. Hosung stares in his eyes as he drags a knife down his torso. Both of their breaths get heavy as blood drips onto the sheets. Hosung smears the blood as he makes another mark on the man's side. Their bodies tremble, Hosung with excitement, the man with a mixture of pleasure and panic.

He watches as a smirk twitches across Hosung's face, feeling suddenly nervous.

"Are you okay? You still have time to back out." Hosung stares at him with his head tilted to the side, the knife laying gently over his chest.

"I'm-good." The man takes a few hard breaths before groaning out in pain from the blade slicing at his skin once more.

His pulse calms slightly as Hosung sets the knife on the nightstand and leans forward. "Why don't you get some sleep?"

Hosung stands up and smiles, walking out of the room towards the bathroom. He flicks the switch with his wrist and kicks the door shut. His reflection catches his eye and he stares.

_What am I doing with my life?_

He turns the faucet on and rinses any trace of blood from his hands. There is a knock on the door. He grabs a towel and starts to dry his hands before answering the knock.

His eyes widen as he sees the man standing there, holding the knife tightly. He stumbles back as the man lunges. Hosung curses, grabbing a shelf to keep him from falling into the shower. He manages to slip around the man but feels the blade slice at his back.

"What are you doing?" He yells, rushing towards the kitchen to grab a weapon.

The man walks calmly down the hall, breathing slowly. "You were going to kill me." He slams his hand on the counter, making Hosung jump. "Weren't you? This is just a sick game, pretend you like a certain kink and then slice some throats. I know that game well."

"What?! No!" He grips his own knife tightly, ready for the man to lunge. "You know-Jacob, murder isn't as easy as you think. You don't want to go to jail over a misunderstanding." He attempts to slide away from the counter but the man grabs him. "Please-"

Before the man can say or do anything, he stops- feeling a sharp pain in his chest. He gasps and stumbles back, looking at the wound. Hosung breathes hard and throws the now bloody knife in the sink. He trembles as the man drops to the ground heavily. The man's face loses color as he chokes for air. Hosung curses over and over. He just killed someone. Fuck.

_My life is over._

He yelps as there is pounding on his front door, it's frantic and heavy. Like Wooyoung's knocks.

"No. No. No. Fuck!" He washes as much blood from his hands as possible before rushing to the door. "Shit. Fuck." He opens the door, leaning against the frame to block Wooyoung from entering. "Hey, babe."

"What's wrong?" Wooyoung has always seen through Hosung when something bad happens. His eyes travel his body, seeing a trail of blood behind him. "That's a bit too much blood, even for you."

Hosung pushes Wooyoung in the chest, forcing him away from the door so he can slam it shut and lock it. His back slides down the wood until he hits the floor. "Fuck."

\--------

"My brother never came home today." Heejun paces in the living room while Geumhyuk reads on the couch. “It’s 3am.”

"Which one?" Geumhyuk isn't too concerned. Heejun has a lot of half brothers who don't really care for authority.

"Jacob." He stops and holds his breath. Jacob is the only brother that never rebelled. Of course, he wasn't the perfect kid but he never got into trouble.

"Maybe he stayed at a friend's house? Or went to a party and slept there?"

"His last final was today, he wouldn't fuck up his degree over a party." He pauses and grabs his chest as if he has been hit. “Damn it.” He sighs and sits down.

“What happened?”

Heejun lowers his head and buries his face in his hands. “He’s dead.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yoonho stares at the back wall of the bar as Chung Hyeop slides into the booth beside him after ordering his drink. Wooyoung sits beside him because he still wants to wring Yoonho’s neck. But maybe he should have left Hosung, anyway. Not because he is going to apparently die. Hosung has been acting odd for a year now and it was starting to drive Wooyoung crazy.

He grabs his drink and takes a large sip before setting it heavily on the table. “Alright, pretty boys.” The two look at him with brows raised. “Spill what you know.”

“I don’t know anything.” Chung Hyeop lies.

“And I’m straight.” Wooyoung bites back.

“You don’t want to know what I know, Wooyoung.” Yoonho still stares blankly. “I don’t really want to think about it.”

Wooyoung shifts his focus back to Chung Hyeop, so is visibly more anxious. “Speak.”

Chung Hyeop opts to whisper in Wooyoung’s ear. Yoonho watches his face pale, wishing that he was the one that could read minds. He wonders why Chung Hyeop is keeping secrets with him.

Wooyoung and and Chung Hyeop look up as Yoonho suddenly gasps out. His head hits the table loudly and he coughs, spraying a small amount of blood through his mouth. Wooyoung grabs a stack of napkins and cleans up the blood. Chung Hyeop carefully helps Yoonho sit up, placing a new napkins to his lips. Yoonho’s eyes flicker and his head swings back. He twitches and coughs again falls into Chung Hyeop’s shoulder.

“Am I dying?” He weakly clings onto his roommate's shirt, barely able to keep his eyes open.

Chung Hyeop looks to Wooyoung for help, trying not to panic. Wooyoung tells him to scoot out so he can help Yoonho. He follows orders and Wooyoung wraps his arm around Yoonho’s torso and carefully pulls him from the table. Yoonho’s legs nearly give out but the two keep him stable.

“Just act like he drank too much.” Wooyoung whispers to Chung Hyeop.

They slowly carry Yoonho out the nearest exit and over to the car. He lays in the back seat, holding his head as it pounds. The others get in the front, Chung Hyeop looking back to his friend and placing a hand on his thigh.

“Is he okay? I mean obviously not but that’s not the normal headache. That was real blood.” Wooyoung starts to tear up, knowing he can’t take him to the hospital.

“He was possessed by a demon.” Chung Hyeop rolls his eyes.

“Shut the fuck up and take me home.” Yoonho growls before attempting to sit himself up. “No. Take me to Hosung’s.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up..it's time for shit to get weird.

Hosung looks up from his couch after a hoard of knocks pound against his front door. He hesitantly gets up and walks to the door, keeping a brow raised. 

“Oh, hey.” Hosung stares at the three boys standing in front of him, two of them keeping the third on his feet. “Everything okay?” 

“Not really.” Wooyoung says quietly, pushing his body through the doorway, causing Chung Hyeop to have to wrap his arms around Yoonho’s waist. 

Hosung steps to the side to let Chung Hyeop and Yoonho inside. He watches as Wooyoung helps Yoonho sit on the couch as Chung Hyeop walks towards the kitchen. Hosung stands between the two areas, not sure who he should look at. 

Yoonho shakes with anxiety, not wanting to talk to Hosung with his ex in the room. He also feels extremely small sitting inside a large and obviously expensive loft. Sweat slicks his palms as the awkward silence continues to fill the air. He finally looks up to Hosung but Wooyoung cuts him off with his own question. 

“How many times did you lie to me in our relationship?” Wooyoung glares. 

Hosung jumps slightly but stares calmly to his ex. “I’m not going to talk about this right now, Wooyoung.” He looks over to Chung Hyeop as the boy leans down to the floor. “Are you-uh-looking for something?” His heart begins to beat faster. 

“Oh!” Chung Hyeop hops up and scratches the back of his head. “Just fixing my sock.” 

Though he doesn’t fully believe him, Hosung just nods and walks to the couch, sitting beside Yoonho. He can tell that Wooyoung is annoyed that he didn’t sit next to him but he doesn’t really care. Yoonho stares at his hands and holds his breath. He really doesn’t want Wooyoung to be there. Chung Hyeop can hear Yoonho’s and Hosung’s very loud thoughts and quickly walks over, standing behind the couch. 

“Shit. Hey, Wooyoung. I need you to take me back to the bar. I think I left my phone.” He gives a panicked look while patting his pockets that Wooyoung easily buys. 

Wooyoung hesitates to stand up but understands that he can’t just let Chung Hyeop’s phone get stolen. The two walk to the door and begin to put their shoes on. Yoonho looks to his best friend and mouths a thank you to him. Chung Hyeop smiles and nods just as Hosung turns around to them as well. They leave and the two sigh in relief. 

Yoonho shuffles a few inches away and turns his body to look at Hosung better. Hosung sits stiffly but keeps his eye contact with Yoonho. 

“Do you want something to drink?” Hosung asks, voice shaky and on the verge of cracking. “I have a full bar and I have like..water.” 

Yoonho cracks a small smile and chuckles. “Got vodka and orange juice?” 

Hosung smiles back and stands, feeling his shoulders relax slightly. “I gotcha.” He walks to the kitchen, stopping at the fridge and staring at the floor. A flashback covers his vision and he sees blood pooling at his feet. An overwhelming feeling of dread fills his body but he can’t look away, frozen in fear. 

“Hey, you okay?” Yoonho notices and begins to stand. 

Hosung blinks hard and shivers, wiping away a tear that feel down his cheek. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry. Did you want more vodka or more orange juice in your screwdriver?” 

“Uhh-more vodka.” He clears his throat, feeling a burn in his stomach. “Can I use your bathroom?” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Down the hall and it’s the second door on the left.” Hosung points as he pulls his vodka from his liquor cabinet. 

Yoonho thanks him and quickly walks down the hall, his stomach searing with pain by the time he reaches the door. He slams it shut and rushes to the sink, knowing he wasn’t going to make it to the toilet. His knuckles whiten as he clutches the vanity and gags loudly. After a strange noise leave this throat, a warm liquid waterfalls past his lips. He stares down in horror as the once white sink as now been stained dark red. His body violently shakes and he closes his eyes, hoping this is just part of a vision and isn’t real. 

Hosung hears coughing from the bathroom and walks down to check on Yoonho. He softly knocks on the door but instead of hearing a voice yell back, there is a loud crash. His shoulder hits hard against the door as he forces it open. Yoonho leans against the tub, face paled and covered in blood. He struggles to take a breath as he attempts to hold back a panic attack. It feels like someone cut his abdomen open and ripped his organs out. He closes his eyes tightly again as Hosung drops down to his side and tries to find any wounds. Yoonho just grabs his shirt and weakly pulls himself up. He wants to cry but feels himself nearly slipping into shock. 

His body falls back again and Hosung jumps to his feet when the front door opens. Hosung rushes out as Wooyoung and Chung Hyeop begin to take their shoes off. Woyoung grumbles about Chung Hyeop’s phone being in the car the whole time. 

“Yoonho is dying! Don’t take your shoes off! He needs to go to the ER!” Hosung yells frantically, waving his hands and running back down the hall. 

The two stare wide eyed for a second before rushing after him. Wooyoung gasps at the blood in the sink and stumbles back into the hall as he sees Yoonho lying on the floor. Chung Hyeop pulls Hosung away from Yoonho and leans in front of his friend. Yoonho shakily wipes the blood from his lips and takes a hard breath. 

“What are you keeping from me?” Yoonho whimpers, feeling scared that he is actually dying. 

Chung Hyeop turns and yells to Wooyoung. “Call Heejun. Tell him to bring his medicine.” 

Wooyoung fumbles with his phone and rushes to the living room to make the call. He picks at his fingernail, anxiously waiting for his friend to pick up. 

“Hello? Why am I awake?” Heejun whines. 

“We need you to get to Hosung’s house. Yoonho is fucking dying and he needs some sort of fucking magic apparently to heal him.” Wooyoung tries not to sound too frantic but most of his words sound like a single one. 

“Send me the address.” 

“Thank you.”

They hang up and Wooyoung sits at the island in the kitchen. He sends Heejun the address and puts his head down in his arms. This is way more drama than he thought a breakup would be. 

Heejun throws his blanket to the side and blindly wades through his room to turn his light on. He grabs a random pair of pants from the floor, quickly tugging them on. After finding his jacket and stuffing his pockets with his essentials, he walks out to the room next to his. The room is filled with bottles and dried herbs. A light purple glow surrounds everything. He steps inside and grabs a small bag, filling it with tubes and syringes. Yoonho isn’t gonna like getting a shot but it’s better than dying. 

He tucks the small bag under his arm and turn the light out. There is faint snoring coming from the living room. Geumhyuk must have fallen asleep watching TV again. No surprise there. Heejun quietly grabs his keys and tucks his shoes on before making his exit. He doubts he woke Geumhyuk up but he wonders if he should. Yoonho is his closest friend and the younger is in trouble. He shakes it off and quickly makes his way to his car. There isn’t much time to really think when his friend is apparently dying.

“What’s taking him so long?” Hosung begins to panic as Yoonho doesn’t seem to regain any strength. 

“He lives on the other end of town, he’ll be here soon. He already left.” Wooyoung reassures him, despite feeling a bit annoyed by his impatience. 

Hosung paces around his house, trying not to scream from a wild mixture of emotions. He lunges towards the door as he hears footsteps coming up the stairs outside. Heejun jumps as the door at the top of the stairs swings open. The two strangers stare at each other as Heejun continues to climb up. 

“Hello.” Heejun greets Hosung. 

“Are you Heejun?” Hosung asks, feeling relief once Heejun nods. “Hurry up, Yoonho-” He turns and runs back into the loft once Heejun reaches the door. 

Wooyoung follows down the hall behind the two as they walk to the bathroom. Chung Hyeop stands up and trades spots with Heejun. He sits beside Yoonho, who has lost all color and is shaking violently. Yoonho greets his friend weakly. Heejun unzips his bag, pulling out a vial filled with a dark purple liquid and a small syringe. Yoonho whimpers and slowly moves away. 

“I know, I know but do you want to die or do you want to feel a sharp pinch for less than a second?” Heejun replies, sticking the needle into the liquid. 

Everyone goes still as Yoonho begins to gag. He clutches the sleeve of Heejun’s shirt as he lurches his body forward, folding in half. The same strange gurgle as before leaves his throat and he pukes blood all over the floor and his feet. The four boys stare in horror. 

Heejun quickly grabs Yoonho’s arm and sticks the needle into his shoulder. Yoonho yelps out but the pain starts to melt away quickly. The skin around the injection begins to turn a light shade of purple, mixed with blue specks. Yoonho very quickly pushes his sleeve down. He takes a few hard breaths, spitting bloody saliva and letting out a barrage of thank you’s to Heejun. Hosung steps in slowly and hands Yoonho a hand towel to clean himself up. Heejun asks if Yoonho can stand. He grabs Yoonho’s hand and helps him to his feet. Yoonho stumbles slightly but keeps himself up. 

“What did you just do?” The two turn to Hosung, still staring in shock and confusion. 

“In short, magic.” Heejun sighs and zips his bag back up and tucks it under his arm. 

Hosung nods slowly. “Is that something I’m gonna have to get used to?” He blinks. “Magic?” 

Wooyoung chimes in “Well, I mean Geumhyuk and I are the only humans in my main friends group. I mean, and you.” 

“Hosung?” Everyone looks to Yoonho as he wipes the blood from his foot. “Can I have that screwdriver now?” 

A small smile cracks on Hosung’s face as he walks to the kitchen. The boys follow, Heejun staying behind Yoonho to make sure he doesn’t fall over. Once they reach the kitchen, they all stand around the island. Heejun feels a warm spot at his feet and looks down, expecting to see a heating vent or something. Instead he sees a pool of blood, soaking his socks and spreading across the floor rapidly. His eyes travel to the back counter and he sees a flash of a body lying still on the ground. He notices a familiar tattoo on the boy’s shoulder blade. Heejun gasps and stumbles back into the fridge. Everyone looks up and questions him. 

“You fucking monster.” His lip twitches, looking up to Hosung. “You won’t get away with this.” 

The focus turns to Hosung, who is staring wide eyed and mouth hanging open slightly. He isn’t even sure what Heejun is talking about but has a sinking feeling it’s about the accident. Heejun’s eyes turn red as he attempts not to cry. He quickly rushes out and slams the door, keeping himself from breaking down until he reaches the stairs. 

“What was that? What happened?” Wooyoung glares to Hosung. 

“I don’t know.” Hosung doesn’t look away from the door. 

Chung Hyeop flinches slightly at Hosung’s thoughts, suddenly feeling bad that the murder was actually an accicent. He would have read Heejun’s mind but Heejun has a blocker spell to keep from other magic affecting him. 

They brush off the awkward situation and Hosung continues to make Yoonho’s drink. Chung Hyeop asks if he could have one as well and Wooyoung helps himself to a beer from Hosung’s fridge. Tension eases and they all end up back in the living room to enjoy their drinks. 

Yoonho’s face twists slightly as is first sip tastes of metal but his second drink is much less bloody. He is lost in thought, knowing he needs to tell Hosung his fate. Chung Hyeop squirms next to him, knowing he needs to tell Yoonho his own fate. His leg bounces enough to make the things on Hosung’s coffee table vibrate. He apologizes but doesn’t stop, making everyone a little bit anxious. They know he knows something but they’re afraid to ask about it. 

“I think I’m gonna sit in my car for a bit.” Wooyoung tells the room before quickly and silently leaving. 

As soon as the door closes, Chung Hyeop jumps up. “You’re both going to die!” With that he rushes out after Wooyoung. 

Yoonho runs after him, grabbing his arm before he can get down the first stair. “Nope!” He pulls him back inside and drags him into the living room. “Explain.” 

Chung Hyeop side eyes Hosung and sighs. “If you don’t let your vision come true then you die, too.” His head lowers as he feels his stomach twist. “There isn’t really a way to stop it and basically you’re linked with Hosung.” 

“Wait!” Hosung stands up and widens his eyes. “I’m the person that’s going to die?! What? Why? I thought you guys found out about the accident!” 

“What accident?” Yoonho frowns and Hosung throws his head back in frustration. 

“Don’t worry about that, Yoonho. Uhh-fuck, this is a mess.” Chung Hyeop covers his face. 

Yoonho growls. “Hosung, I’m sorry. Yes, I had a vision of you dying. I know almost all the details but I don’t know why it happens. Usually, I can postpone this shit but I don’t know about this. I’m fucking confused.” He grabs the back of Chung Hyeop’s head and pulls him closer. “What the fuck do you mean we’re linked?” 

“I don’t know! Ask Geumhyuk! Or Heejun. But I think that’s why you’re feeling everything.” 

Hosung and Yoonho both step back with their mouths hanging open slightly. 

“How do I..die?” Hosung’s voice waivers. 

Yoonho looks down and frowns, his brows furrowing. “I’m not allowed to tell you. If I have a vision about death, I’m technically not allowed to tell the person it happens. But you found out through Chung Hyeop’s words so it nulls that rule. All I can say is that I’m sorry and I feel your dread.” A flash takes over Yoonho’s vision and he’s relieved that it isn’t about Hosung. He grabs Chung Hyeop’s arm and pulls him forward. A box of cereal falls from the shelf and hits the boy’s head. Yoonho apologizes but can’t help to crack a smile as Chung Hyeop rubs the back of his head. “I told you I can’t stop a vision.” 

“Exactly, so stop trying to intervene, it’s killing you!” Chung Hyeop snaps slightly. 

“I’m not going to let him die!” 

“Uh, guys? Can we just calm down a bit? I think we need to all go to bed and collect our thoughts. It’s late anyway and it’s been a long day. Tell Wooyoung to come back to my place when he drops you guys off.” Hosung twitches before walking to the front door and opening it for the two to make their exit. “I’ll see you guys later.” 

The two slowly make their exit and Hosung quietly shuts the door behind them, locking it. 

\-----

Heejun stares at the wall in the living room, trying to calm himself down. He finally found the person that murdered his brother. Maybe it wasn't Jacob that he saw, maybe he is linked with someone else.. 

_No..it couldn't have been._

\-----

_Wait. Wooyoung said they aren't human..What are they, then? They look human, they just have supernatural abilities._   
_…Right?_

Hosung rolls onto his back and stares at the ceiling. He’s had to watch his back for a year now, incase someone found out about the murder. Now he has to watch for his Heejun guy. Is he the one that kills him? 

_Maybe I’m overreacting. _

He turns on his side, wrapping his arm around the body sleeping peacefully beside him. His head buries into their shoulder and he looks at the scratch marks across their back. 

“Wooyoung?” Hosung lightly shakes at the boy’s shoulder. 

The boy whines and squints over to Hosung. “Yeah?” 

“You’re gonna be late for work.” 

Wooyoung turns to face Hosung and nuzzles against his chest. “So? It’s my shop, I can open late if I want to.” 

“Babe-” Hosung pauses and looks down to Wooyoung, who is staring at him with glossy eyes. “I need to go to work, too.” 

Wooyoung sighs and throws the blanket off his body, grabbing his shirt from the ground. He silently gets dressed and walks out to the kitchen. Hosung crawls out of bed as well and goes over to his closet. The walls are lined with clothes and there is a shelf at the back with his shoes and accessories. 

He grabs a random outfit and quickly changes. He knows that Wooyoung is still in the loft, most likely making some coffee. Hosung always wondered why Wooyoung always drinks coffee at home when he owns a cafe. 

Sure enough, when he walks down the hall, he sees Wooyoung sitting at the counter, sipping at his motivational juice. He greets Hosung before sliding over a travel mug to the end of the counter. 

“I made you some, too.” Wooyoung yawns, checking his phone to make sure he isn’t actually going to be late to open shop. “I know you need to leave soon so I won’t hold you up or anything.” He stands and sets the empty cup into the sink. “Have a good day.” 

Hosung stares blankly as Wooyoung makes his exit. He grabs the travel mug and takes a sip, pulling back as the coffee burns his top lip. It tastes sweeter than Hosung is used to but considering Wooyoung drinks sugar with coffee in it, he isn’t too surprised. He grabs his keys, phone, and wallet before leaving for work. 

He stares deep in thought as he drives, nearly running a red light. His head pounds and he feels a small panic attack creep up on him. He pulls into the parking lot of gas station and turns off his car. Maybe it is a call off work kind of day. He decides that since he is already at the gas station, he might as well get some sort of breakfast. 

“Good morning!’ A voice calls from behind the counter as Hosung walks inside. 

“Morning- Hey-” Hosung meets eyes with the familiar face. “How are you?” 

Chung Hyeop smiles and walks over to Hosung. “I’m doing okay. You shouldn’t mess with Wooyoung’s head, Hosung.” 

“Oh, uh, I’m not trying to-” 

“Calm down-Wooyoung texted me. I didn’t read your mind.” He pauses, keeping his smile. “Yoonho and I are off at 4:30 then we can answer that question of yours.” 

Hosung sputters as Chung Hyeop walks back to the counter to check a customer out. Having a new mind reading friend is going to take some time getting used to. Hosung gets his phone out and texts his assistant, telling him that he isn’t coming in to work. He grabs a few snacks and goes to the counter. Chung Hyeop happily begins to scan his items. 

“Where does Yoonho work?” Hosung asks sheepishly. 

“He’s the account manager at the bank downtown.” Chung Hyeop replies, bagging the snacks. He tells Hosung his total and looks down as Hosung gets his card out. “Maybe you should visit him. You’re a customer there.” 

“Oh-heh, okay.” Hosung’s lips twitch up and his heart flips in his chest a bit. He grabs the bag and nods to Chung Hyeop. “Thank you. Have a good day.” 

_Yoonho has access to my bank account._

He works two blocks from Hosung’s house. Should he really go? It’s a chance to be able to talk to him..Before he can make a conscious decision, he is already driving in the direction of the bank. He decides to just go instead of getting lost in thought again and crashing. 

Hosung awkwardly walks into the bank, keeping his head down incase Yoonho is out in the lobby. A teller greets him and he nearly trips on the rug underneath his feet. He straightens himself, feeling his cheeks burn red as he approaches her. 

“Um, I need to talk to the account manager about..my account.” Hosung can’t believe how awkward he is being. 

“Sure thing! Have a seat and he’ll be right out.” The woman gestures to the chairs in the back of the lobby by the office. 

He thanks her and quickly takes a seat. 

Yoonho looks up from his computer as the teller open the door. She informs him of the customer waiting outside. He thanks her and continues to quickly finish his notes from the last meeting he had. After about 5 more minutes of typing he remembers he has someone waiting and jumps up. 

“Hi, sorry I had to finish, uh-” Yoonho pauses as he looks over to Hosung. “I had to finish some notes. Come in.” He walks back into the office after Hosung stands. What is he doing here? “So, um, what can I do for you today?”

“I need to take someone off my account.” Hosung is surprisingly calm sounding despite his hands shaking. 

“Sure, do you have your account number or ID?” It’s strange seeing Yoonho being professional. Hosung gets his wallet out and hands Yoonho his ID. “Perfect.” He types his identification number into the computer. “Alrighty, so you have one other person on your account- oh uh Jang Wooyoung.” His eyes travel to the balance and he nearly chokes. _How does he have that much money?_

“Yeah, he’s no longer needed on the account.” He clears his throat. “Also, I saw Chung Hyeop this morning. He said you both get off at 4:30. I was wondering if I could come over to talk a bit? He said it was cool, I just wanted to check with you, too.” 

Yoonho smiles and chuckles, feeling his heart rate spike. “Of course.” He snaps back into business mode and clicks a few buttons. “Okay, he has been taken off the account and any associated cards have been suspended indefinitely.” 

“Thank you. We already destroyed that card.” 

“Is there anything else I can assist you with today?” He pauses and puts his hand up. “Related to your bank account.” 

“No that’s everything, thank you.” Hosung stands and nods to Yoonho before leaving. 

Yoonho sighs and gets up to lock his door to take an early break. As he walks back to his desk, his vision blurs. _Not again_. He grabs the chair and feels his eyes sting as he tries not to yell from the pain. His knees buckle and he stares in shock as he sees more about Hosung’s death. It ends just as quickly as it begins but still takes a toll on his body. Yoonho places his head to the floor and catches his breath, feeling like he’s been kicked in the stomach by a spiked boot. 

He coughs and sees blood spray against his desk. “Fuck.” His head spins and the only thing he can do is lie on the carpet and wait for the pain to subside. 

\---

“Are you sure you saw Jacob?” Geumhyuk questions as he stands in the kitchen, cutting up vegetables for a salad. 

“I’m linked to him. If it wasn’t him then I wouldn’t have seen it.” Heejun stares, his face pale and his under eyes dark purple. “I just don’t understand what happened.”

“Maybe it was an accident?” 

“You didn’t see it. There was so much blood. That fucker killed my brother and is going to get what he deserves.” He stands and walks out, going to his room and slamming the door shut. 

\---

Chung Hyeop sighs in relief as the next shift lead walks in. He quickly clocks out and grabs his things from the back room, making his exit before his coworker can stop him. Hopefully Yoonho isn’t mad that he is late picking him up from work. 

[Chung Hyeop - 5:02pm]: omw sorry!!

[Yoonho - 5:03pm]: no worries..

He jumps in his car and speeds off towards downtown. As he pulls up the side bank, Yoonho is standing outside, playing on his phone. Yoonho looks up and rushes to the car. 

“Where are we meeting Hosung?” Chung Hyeop asks, checking a few texts he ignored on the drive over. “And how was your day?” 

“At the fountain. I just texted him.” Yoonho speaks quietly, wishing he could just fall in a hole forever. “Hosung showed up to delete Wooyoung off his account. I didn’t realize they shared financials. I feel bad for ruining that. Oh-” He coughs. “I puked blood all over my desk so now this shit is officially affecting my work.” 

“Shit, Yoonho, that isn’t good.” They go quiet for the rest of the drive. Chung Hyeop parks and looks to Yoonho. “Are we really going to tell him everything? We don’t even know him and-” he pauses, nearly telling Yoonho about Hosung’s accident. “I don’t know.”

“I know he’s still technically a stranger but my life is affecting his and he deserves to understand things.” 

Chung Hyeop nods and the two get out. They walk to the fountain in the middle of the park and sit on the edge, waiting for Hosung to show up. Both of their bodies shake with anxiety, having only ever told Wooyoung about their lives. Geumhyuk already knew, having been Heejun’s friend for years before meeting the two. They don’t really like talking about their lives. 

The two look up and see Hosung walking awkwardly over to them. He greets them, twitching his lip up slightly, despite feeling like his heart is going to explode. 

“So, you had some questions?” Chung Hyeop gets straight to the point. “I’ll let you ask them.” 

“I caught Wooyoung’s slip saying you weren’t human.” Hosung feels his stomach twist slightly. “So, what are you then?”

The two look around to make sure there aren’t people standing too close. Yoonho steps forward and speaks softly. “Fae.”

Hosung raises his brow. “Like faeries?” 

“No, no- just fae. No wings or being tiny.” Chung Hyeop interjects. “Think of it as elves but nicer and cooler.” 

“What about Heejun?” Hosung can’t help but think this is just a joke and that the two are going to start laughing at him any moment. 

“He’s fae too and a healer. He’s also kind of our boss in a way.” 

“You guys aren’t joking?” They shake their head. “Is there anything else?”

Chung Hyeop perks up excitedly. “We have two names!” He smiles and looks to Yoonho who rolls his eyes. 

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we have names that we use in the human world but-” He points to the fountain, “when we go back to our world, we use our other names.” Chung Hyeop and Yoonho sit back down. “My name is Baron and Yoonho is Ayno. Heejun is Ziu.” 

“We actually gave the others fae names, too. Just for fun.” Yoonho smirks and looks up to Hosung, who just looks bewildered by all of this new information. “Wooyoung is Ace, Geumhyuk is St.Van because he is best friends with a healer. And you-” 

Hosung steps closer. “You gave me a name?” 

“Lou. Don’t ask, I don’t have the time to explain fae names.” Hosung nods and lets the two continue. “Names are treated with respect in our world. That’s why we have different names in this world, it separates our lives. We’ve had names slandered before and it brought a lot of disgrace to our clan.” 

Chung Hyeop suddenly loses his smile and seems to become irritated. “Jacob was a good kid and he didn’t deserve to be cast out like that.” 

“But then Heejun found him and he became our brother. People weren’t happy with him for taking in someone they saw as a criminal. But he truly did nothing wrong. He went missing a year ago and he was presumed dead. Our clan will get our revenge on whoever did it.” 

Hosung begins to tremble. Chung Hyeop jumps up and grabs Hosung’s collar, pushing him back. He throws his body hard against the fountain. Yoonho jumps up and tries to pull Chung Hyeop off. Hosung groans in pain but doesn’t attempt to fight back. His cheek scrapes the edge of the fountain and he closes his eyes after Chung Hyeop raises his fist, ready to strike down. Yoonho leaps forward and grabs his wrist to stop him. 

“It was you!” Chung Hyeop screams, kicking Hosung’s side. 

“Baron, enough!” Yoonho roars back, making Chung Hyeop freeze instantly, body twitching in anger. 

“Of all the people you could have killed, it had to be him!” Tears form in his eyes. “How could you?” 

Hosung flips himself over and drops his body to the ground, resting his back to the fountain. “It was an accident.” His trembles turn to full shaking and his voice cracks as he no longer holds tears back. “I’m sorry.” 

Yoonho stumbles back, feeling ringing in his ear. Hosung killed Jacob? What happened? He doesn’t seem like someone that could get away with murder. “Hosung, what do you mean?” 

“I met him at the bar and took him home. He backed out so I left him alone and he grabbed a knife and started chasing me.” Hosung stops to let out a loud sob. “I was just defending myself. I didn’t even do anything. He just-just-he ran into my knife.” 

Chung Hyeop falls to his knees and shakily inhales, feeling tears fall down his cheeks. “I hate that you’re telling the truth.” 

“The reason no one found out is because I used to know ex mafia. They worked for my company and owed me. I swear I’m not a bad guy. I didn’t want my life to be over and just panicked.”

“Ayno, what do we do? Do we report him to Ziu?” He looks up to Yoonho who is keeping intense eye contact with Hosung. 

Yoonho shakes his head and grabs Chung Hyeop by the arm, pulling him to his feet. He drags him away, feeling his head ache and his stomach burn. Chung Hyeop breaks free and goes to push Yoonho but stops as notices the younger pale. Yoonho braces himself on his friend’s shoulder, attempting to keep himself up. 

His knees collide into the grass and he coughs violently. He holds a hand to his mouth and blood pools into his palm. Hosung quickly collects himself and runs over. Chung Hyeop glares at him but lets him help. The two wrap their arms around Yoonho and rush him to the car as quickly as possible. Yoonho chokes slightly as Chung Hyeop helps him in the front seat, spraying blood across the other’s face and uniform. 

“Fuck, this is my only work shirt.” The older whines. 

“I’m _so_ fucking sorry.” Yoonho gasps, looking down to his hand covered in blood, dripping onto his jeans.

Chung Hyeop looks at Hosung and twitches. “Thanks.” 

\---

Hosung sits on the couch, sipping at a beer. He attempts to understand everything that he’s learned the past few days. None of it really makes sense but for some reason, he is pretty calm about the fact that his new friends aren’t humans. Well, he isn’t sure if they really are friends anymore since they want him dead. 

He thinks about seeing Yoonho’s hand covered in blood. His fingers looked so pretty stained with red. It seems wrong to be aroused by Yoonho being bloody in this sense but Hosung can’t help it. He wonders how Yoonho would react to being scratched hard enough to bleed. Hosung twitches and holds his breath, leaning his head back. His hand slips into his waistband. He breathes heavily as he begins to pleasure himself. He can’t stop thinking about Yoonho, wishing he was here riding his hips instead. The excitement works him up quickly, making him buck his hips within a minute. He moans lightly and closes his eyes, grabbing his beer and finishing it off. 

He holds his phone tightly, wondering if he should text Yoonho and ask him to come over. Should he? Maybe it’s best to keep his distance. But the curiosity of Yoonho clutching his pillow is impairing his thoughts. 

[Lou Hosung - 12:24am]: Hey..


	3. Chapter 3

Yoonho sets a pot of ramyun in the center of the kitchen table. He looks over to Chung Hyeop, who picks anxiously at his lip. Beside him, Heejun sits, with tired eyes and a pale complexion. No one reaches for the food. 

“Heejun-” Chung Hyeop speaks quietly. “What did you see?” 

The boy feels his chest tighten as he remembers the awful scene. “Jacob’s dead. And he killed him.”   
  
“I-I want to see. Let me see him.” 

Heejun slowly reaches for Chung Hyeop’s wrist, pulling it on top of the table. Yoonho watches closely, feeling a bit squeamish by the thought of another dead body. His visions also get worse when spiritual energy is high around him. Chung Hyeop trembles as Heejun places two fingers over his pulse. He closes his eyes and the room goes silent. Yoonho watches carefully. 

Chung Hyeop twitches as his spirit is forced into Hosung's kitchen. He looks over to see Hosung crying and trembling in a corner. His eyes travel to the ground. A hand pokes out from behind the island. He slowly steps forward, afraid to actually see a dead body. 

He gasps back to reality and buries his hands in his face. Yoonho jumps over to his roommate, wrapping an arm around his back. Chung Hyeop shivers as he keeps himself from breaking down. 

“I don’t want to see any more.” Chung Hyeop whimpers.

Yoonho sits back down and looks over to Heejun. “What do we do now?” 

Heejun leans forward, grabbing the bowl in front of him and placing some noodles into it. “Nothing.” 

“Nothing?” Chung Hyeop’s palms slam into the table. “How can we sit here and do nothing about this?” 

“You two aren’t going to do anything. I can’t afford for you to get hurt, so just leave it to me.” 

“But it was just an accident, Hosung said so. Chung Hyeop, you knew he wasn’t lying! You can’t hurt him without knowing what happened.” Yoonho feels his stomach twist. He doesn’t want Hosung to die and especially not by Heejun’s hands.

“I never said I’d hurt him, Yoonho.” Heejun smiles, taking a bite of his food. “I’m a healer, I don’t hurt people.”

Yoonho stays quiet. He eyes Chung Hyeop, who keeps his head down. 

The two refuse to eat as Heejun enjoys his free dinner. They look up as Heejun stands. He takes his empty bowl to the sink and places it on top of a pile of dirty plates. 

“Thank you for the food but next time we have dinner, why don’t we go back home for something better?” With that, he leaves. 

There is an awkward silence before Yoonho stands, walking out of the room. “I’m going to bed.” 

\--

Hosung lies his head against his desk. The only light in his office is a small lamp to the side of his laptop. He slowly looks up as the door creaks open. The light that bleeds into the office pains him slightly. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were taking a nap.” His assistant stands awkwardly in the doorway. “Uh, Wooyoung is here. Do you want me to tell him you’re in a meeting?” 

Hosung smiles softly and shakes his head. “No, that’s okay. Let him in.”

The woman nods and flips the lights on. Hosung flinches slightly and rubs at his temples, trying to wish his migraine away. He doesn’t want to deal with Wooyoung right now but he knows the boy will find a way to talk to him anyway. 

There is a soft knock on the door, followed by Wooyoung walking in, a backpack slung over one shoulder. He slowly goes to the desk and sits down. Hosung stares at him emotionless. 

“I think you have a lot to tell me.” Wooyoung says quietly. 

“What do you want to hear?” Hosung sighs and sits back in his chair. 

There is an awkward silence for a moment as Wooyoung finds the courage to speak. “What happened a year ago? When I came to your house and you were bloody. You slammed the door in my face and ignored me for a week.” He pauses. “And before you lie to me, Chung Hyeop told me.” 

“Nothing you need to be concerned about. It’s over with and I’ve gotten medicine to help me through it.” 

“You need meds to get you through murdering someone?” 

"I didn't murder anyone. It was an accident. If you don't believe me, then ask your friends." He watches as Wooyoung slides his bag from his shoulder, propping it on the desk. 

"I brought you some lunch. I figured you needed something to eat. You always skip breakfast." He pulls out a salad and a bagel, setting it in front of Hosung. "Sorry, I didn't bring any coffee." 

"Thanks. I actually had lunch but I can save it for later." Hosung lowers his head, hoping Wooyoung doesn’t hear his stomach growling. "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about what happened. It was traumatic for me and I didn't know how to cope. I still don't. -and now I'm gonna fucking die any minute so what's the point of trying to help myself?" 

"Hosung, I feel like if you had talked to me, I wouldn't have felt like you didn't love me anymore." 

"Of course I still loved you- This isn’t about you." 

"You completely changed as a person." 

"I witnessed someone dying, Wooyoung. That fucks people up." 

\-----

Geumhyuk sits on the couch, reading a book on dark fae magic. He looks up as Heejun walks out of his room. Heejun goes over and hands him a different book. 

“Read this instead, I need this.” He says, taking Geumhyuk’s book and walking to his room. 

“I’m gonna go see our favorite fae.” Geumhyuk stands, tucking the new book under his arm and walking to the door. 

\-- 

Yoonho lies on the floor of the living room while Geumhyuk reads on the couch. Chung Hyeop bites at his nails, trying to think of something to do.

“All I can think of is going to the bar like an alcoholic.” Chung Hyeop growls in boredom. 

“I don’t get paid until Friday.” Yoonho frowns. He sits up, resting on his elbows, and sighs. “Let’s just go to the cafe and bug Wooyoung for free food.” 

The other two think for a moment before agreeing. 

\--

“Wooyoung! Feed us!” Yoonho yells out from the front of the cafe, the other two behind him.

The boy walks out from the backroom and hopes there aren’t other customers. He has an apron on, with cocoa powder and flour dusted across the front of it. “Do you have money?”

“We have the love of friendship.” 

“I have a dumpster out back.” 

Wooyoung stops as the front door chimes, staring over to the customer. The others turn around, Yoonho staring at the tall boy in front of him. Hosung steps towards the counter, clutching an empty travel mug in his hand. He has one eye closed and his face is in a constant wince. His headache still hasn’t gone away and he just hopes that it’s caffeine withdrawal. 

A woman behind the counter greets him and asks if he wants his usual. He nods and attempts to smile as he swipes his card. Wooyoung quickly rushes behind the counter and tells the girl that he will make the drink, grabbing the travel mug. Hosung is so focused on his migraine that he doesn’t pay attention to Wooyoung as he sits at a small table.

Yoonho notices his pain and quickly makes his way over, sliding into the chair across from Hosung. “Hey, are you okay?” He whispers. 

Hosung looks up and takes a large, shaky breath before smiling. “Oh, yeah. It’s just a bad headache.” His hands shake slightly. “I’ve had it for like 2 days straight.” 

“That’s not good, Hosung. You should go to the doctor.” 

“Yeah, maybe.” 

Wooyoung walks over and sets Hosung’s travel mug on the table in front of him. “Are you still sick? Hosung, you need to go to the doctor.” 

“I’m fine, Wooyoung.” Hosung grabs the mug and quickly makes his exit. 

\---

Hosung’s body falls onto the bed and he pulls his pillow over his head. This migraine is horrible but it's not enough to go to the doctor about. He feels bad about worrying Yoonho and annoyed that Wooyoung is bugging him so much. 

He growls when a knock rings through this loft. His eyes stay shut as he slides from the bed and walks to the front door. 

"Afternoon, Hosung." Heejun smiles up to him. "I would love to talk to you." 

Hosung attempts to hide his anxiety creeping up on him. "S-sure." 

He steps to the side, inviting Heejun inside. Heejun slowly makes his entrance, trying not to look over to the kitchen. He turns to Hosung after he closes the door. Hosung clears his throat and looks to the floor. 

"How do you feel?" Heejun asks, seeing the pain on Hosung's face. 

"I'm fine." Hosung lies as a wave of dizziness nearly causes him to fall. "Why?"

"Because someone's been poisoning you." 

Hosung stares up and widens his eyes. "Did you poison me?" 

"No, no, that's too petty for me." He walks to the couch and takes a seat. "Why don't you come sit down?" Hosung can't help but move towards Heejun, sitting beside him. "Now, tell me everything you did with my brother." 

Hosung attempts to hesitate his answer but something forces him to speak. “We met at the bar, started talking about music. The conversation turned to our kinks and uh, he said that he wanted to learn more. We flirted a bit, I asked if he wanted to come to my place and he said yes. We did and when we went to the bedroom, he seemed uncomfortable so I left him alone in the guest room. I literally just went to the bathroom to clean myself up and he attacked me.” He stops and stares at Heejun. “What did you do to me?” 

“In short, magic.” 

“That must be your favorite phrase, huh?” 

Heejun shrugs and sits forward. “Tell me more about how he attacked you.” 

“I opened the bathroom door and he lunged at me with a knife. I was able to slip away and he chased me to the kitchen. He said I was going to kill him and that he knew a lot about killing or something like that. I grabbed another knife in self defense and held it in front of me. I didn’t even move, he just jumped forward and then fell to the ground.” Hosung feels his body tremble as he visualizes the horrible scene. His eyes tear up and he buries his face in his palms. 

"You’ve told me enough. I see it’s hurting you, so I’ll stop.” He stands and walks over to Hosung so visibly flinches. Heejun grabs his wrist and pulls it away from his face. “Keep your eyes closed and try to relax.” 

Hosung holds his breath and refuses to open his eyes. His body flies back into the chair as Heejun presses two fingers into his wrist. A faint purple light glows from Heejun’s hand as he heals Hosung of the poison in his body. Hosung hears a high pitched whine in his ears before everything suddenly goes quiet. 

Heejun pulls away and Hosung slowly looks up to him. He feels less like he is dying. In fact, he feels completely healthy again. 

“You’re welcome.” Heejun stares to the older emotionlessly. 

Hosung leaps from his seat and grabs Heejun’s arm. “Thank you, I owe you.” 

A smirk spreads across Heejun’s lips. “And you will.” 

With that, he makes his exit. 

\---

Yoonho sits on his bed, working on some documents for work. He rests his head heavily in his palm, fighting a severe headache. His vision blurs slightly and he sighs, closing his laptop in frustration. 

[Hosung - 6:17pm]: hey...i have a question about fae stuff..

[Yoonho - 6:18pm]: shoot

[Hosung - 6:20pm]: Heejun came to my house and I guess I was poisoned by something so he I guess healed me. I said I owed him and he got cryptic and said that I will….did I just make a mistake…?

[Yoonho - 6:21]: welp….  
[Yoonho - 6:21pm]: yeah you fucked up 

Yoonho is surprised when his phone begins to ring. 

“Hello?” He answers. 

“Before I have a panic attack, how badly did I fuck up?” Hosung asks frantically, attempting to keep his breathing under control. 

Yoonho lays back in his bed and groans loudly. “Basically, you gave Heejun permission to force you to do one favor for him.” 

“But before that he had forced me to speak. What’s the difference?” 

“I’m gonna assume that he used the truth spell then. With a favor, if he needs you to do something you will be forced to do it.” 

Hosung whimpers, feeling his pulse raise. “I’m going to die.” 

Yoonho’s nose scrunches. “Well, yeah but I wouldn’t worry about the favor bind. He can’t use it to specifically harm you. However, if depending on what he asks, yu may be harmed in the process.” He pauses as he starts to feel his stomach cramp. “I’m sorry, I need to get off the phone with you.” 

Before Hosung can respond, Yoonho hangs up. He stands and runs out of his room towards the bathroom. Chung Hyeop walks out of his room and instantly collides with Yoonho, they both stumble back after the crash. Yoonho attempts to keep running but falls to his knees when a vision takes over his view. He curses and yells as blood sprays across the floor. 

Chung Hyeop drops to his side and pulls him up. Yoonho shivers, wrapping his arms around his friend’s torso and burying his face in his shoulder. He sobs out in pain and fear as Chung Hyeop attempts to soothe him. 

“All we did was talk on the phone! I can’t take this anymore!” Yoonho screams out. “We need to save him.” 

“Yoonho, we need to save you. It sounds harsh but you’re more important. I know you have a crush on him but it’s not worth your life.” 

“I know but why does anyone have to die? It’s not fair!” 

Chung Hyeop pulls his friend away and wipes his tears away. “Of course it’s not fair but that’s part of life in this world. You know that.” 

Yoonho takes a few hard breaths, enough to calm himself a bit more. He sniffles and wipes the blood from his lips. Chung Hyeop tells him that he will clean the floor and make him some tea to relax him. Yoonho nods to him and drags his feet back to his room, throwing his body heavily on the bed. 

He really doesn’t want Hosung to die or even get hurt. They have only just met a week ago but something about the boy intrigues him. Yoonho rolls on his back and stares at the ceiling. He is a fucking millionare and if he wanted someone to disappear, he knows the right people to do it. Most people would be scared of someone like that but not Yoonho. He’s only afraid of the fact that he nearly dies any time he gets near Hosung. 

He needs to figure out a way to stop his vision. He’s tired of seeing someone dying over and over again. Tired of the pain trying to stop Hosung’s fate. Before Chung Hyeop can go to make his tea, he jumps up and rushes downstairs. He silently makes his exit after grabbing their car keys. 

\---

Geumhyuk walks to the door as knocks roar through the apartment. He is surprised to see his friend pushing into the living room. Yoonho storms down the hallway, towards the first door on the left. Geumhyuk blinks and closes the front door, wishing his friend had taken his shoes off first before stepping on their white carpet. 

Heejun looks up from his desk as the door swings open. “Can I help you?” 

“What book or fucking spell to keep me from dying when I’m fucking around Hosung?” Yoonho begins to search through the bookshelf behind Heejun. 

“Have you tried not hanging out with him, instead?” 

“I’m not doing that.”

Heejun rolls his eyes and growls, standing up and walking over to Yoonho. “I can temporarily help the pain but it will come back and you two will still be linked.” 

Yoonho grabs his arm. “Anything. Please.” 

The younger sits Yoonho down in the chair and rummages through the books. He pulls one out and flips through it, trying to find the right page. Yoonho shifts around anxiously, feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, knowing it's either Hosung or Chung Hyeop. 

"You're lucky. I've already made some of this." Heejun sighs, closing the book heavily. 

"How long does it last?" Yoonho bites at his lip. 

Heejun grabs a large bottle off a tall shelf and sets it heavily in front of Yoonho. "One dropper lasts half a day." He pulls a smaller bottle from his pocket and slowly begins to fill it with the strange liquid. "Don't abuse it, please." 

Yoonho grabs for the vial after Heejun holds it out to him. "You know I won't." 

He quickly stands, thanking Heejun and rushing out the door. Heejun rolls his eyes and sits heavily down in his chair to go back to his research. 

\---

Wooyoung locks the door of the café and begins to walk to his car. As he unlocks the door, he feels something grab his shoulder. He lets out a gasp and quickly turns around to see nothing. His body shakes as he looks around for anything to explain what he felt. 

“Shit.”

He jumps into his car and locks the door after not finding anything. 

\---

Chung Hyeop rushes out of the kitchen as the front door opens. He collides into Yoonho’s body and grabs his arm. 

“Where the hell did you go?” Chung Hyeop pulls his roommate down the hall towards the kitchen. 

Yoonho digs in his pocket and pulls out a small bottle. “I went to see Heejun.” 

“You ignored my damn texts and took my car to get a fucking potion?” 

“It’s- so I can be around Hosung.” He lowers his head. “And hey! It’s our car!” 

Chung Hyeop collides his hand with his own forehead. “You really fucking are whipped for that fucker.” 

Yoonho pouts and crosses his arms. “I am not! I’m just trying to save him.” 

“Yes but I can also see that you’re lying.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Yoonho stares into space and Chung Hyeop steps back, knowing he is having another vision. He slowly places a hand on Yoonho’s shoulder. Once he touches, he is thrown into the vision. Suddenly, he’s gasping for air, watching Yoonho run past him and yelling for Hosung. 

The two jump and collide to the floor and catch their breath. Yoonho looks to Chung Hyeop, knowing he felt the pain he was in during the vision. 

“I’m sorry.” He attempts to not cry. 

Yoonho gets concerned as he is still unable to catch his breath. His head begins to ache worse than ever before. He feels like he’s suffocating. Chung Hyeop sees the panic rise on Yoonho’s face and asks him what’s wrong. 

“Something’s wrong with Hosung.” 

\---

Hosung heavily sets a small glass on the kitchen counter and turns to grab a bottle of bourbon. He pours himself a drink and begins to walk towards his living room. Before he reaches the couch, the front door flies open. His body is thrown backwards and the glass rockets to the floor, shattering on impact. The breath is knocked out of Hosung as his back hits the wood. A hand tightly wraps around his throat. He panics at the sudden loss of oxygen, clawing at the person’s arm. 

His eyes flicker up to see Wooyoung on top of him. Wooyoung’s eyes are a dark black and his face is in a twisted snarl. Hosung attempts to pull him off but his grip is unnaturally strong. He feels tears well in his eyes as his vision begins to haze. His head heavies and falls backwards. He pulls his leg up and kicks at Wooyoung’s body to no use. 

“Please.” He only manages to mouth instead of making a noise. 

With the last of his strength he tries once more to move away but fails. He can’t take the pressure building in his head. His vision turns to stars and is quickly replaced with darkness. He weakly lets his arms fall to his sides as his body begins to give up. The only thing Hosung can hear is a loud ringing in his ears. His nails dig into the carpet before everything stops. 

His body lies still. Wooyoung pulls away and blinks his black eyes back to normal. Before Hosung wakes up, he pulls the boy’s body into his arms and rushes out of the loft.

\---

Yoonho and Chung Hyeop rush up the stairs to Hosung’s loft. They push in after seeing the front door cracked open. Yoonho steps into the living room and immediately feels dizzy. He braces himself on the arm of the couch. 

“He’s not home.” Chung Hyeop says, walking from down the hall. 

“We need to find Wooyoung.” Yoonho winces in pain. “Now.” 

Chung Hyeop gives him a confused look. “Wooyoung? Why?” 

“I don’t know but I know he was here last.” Yoonho doesn’t want to tell Chung Hyeop what he saw when he walked into the living room. He honestly isn’t sure what he even saw. 

He tries his best not to think about it in detail in case the older tries to read his thoughts. Chung Hyeop can’t help but listen to Yoonho’s thoughts. He’s not exactly sure what he’s afraid of but he knows the younger is terrified. 

Yoonho’s stomach twists as he walks out. Chung Hyeop carefully closes the door and makes his way downstairs, meeting Yoonho by the car. He lets Yoonho drive, since it seems like he knows where to go. Yoonho’s knuckles turn white as he grips the steering wheel. He thought he had more time than this. Why is everything happening so quickly? 

“I’m not ready to die.” He whispers to himself. 

“Yoonho-” Chung Hyeop doesn’t look up. “I’m sorry.” 

Yoonho bites his cheek to keep from tearing up, failing as his eyes begin to sting. “You don’t have to do it.”

“Pull over.” 

“No!” Chung Hyeop jumps as Yoonho yells, hitting the steering wheel. “He doesn’t deserve this!” 

“Tell me what you saw, Yoonho. You saw Wooyoung. Was he-” 

Yoonho pulls up next to the park and collapses into himself. He pulls at his hair, feeling a hard invisible hit to his stomach. Chung Hyeop gasps as the boy spits blood onto his lap. “What are you keeping from me?” He screams out, trembling from the pain and anger. 

“You already know.” 

Yoonho pushes the door open and runs out to Chung Hyeop’s side. He pulls the boy out to the ground and rears back, hitting his cheekbone. Before he can strike again, another unseen force hits his back. His knees collide with the sidewalk and he braces for more blood. Chung Hyeop watches his friend fall apart in front of him. 

“I’m sorry, Yoonho.” His voice wavers as he places his hand over his cheek. “Don’t blame him.” 

“Did Xiao do this? He turned Wooyoung into a fucking disgusting creature to get back at me, did he?” Yoonho reaches over and grabs Chung Hyeop’s shirt. “And you knew the whole fucking time? How long has it been?” 

“A week.” He slowly pulls Yoonho’s hand off and lowers his head. "You know that ex mafia Hosung talked about?" 

"Are you fucking kidding me? Does Hosung know?" 

"I don't think so." 

\---

_Wooyoung steps into the elevator of his apartment building, ready to relax after a long day of work. He checks a text from Chung Hyeop and chuckles at the funny picture he sent. Before the doors close, a hand catches it. Wooyoung looks up from his phone to see 3 boys walking in. One of the boys looks familiar but he can't seem to figure out where he's seen him before. _

_He shifts to the side as they gather around the small space. Wooyoung notices that they didn't select a floor and begins to get anxious. Maybe he's just paranoid...They probably just live on the same floor and he's never noticed them before. _

_The doors open and Wooyoung quickly steps out, instinctively looking back to see if the guys are following him. They step out, the one in front staring directly at Wooyoung. The man smiles as they meet eyes and Wooyoung turns back, rushing to the stairs at the end of the hall. He holds his breath and begins to run once turning the corner. _

_"Wooyoung, your apartment is this one." The man yells out. _

_Wooyoung slowly looks over to see the man leaning against his door, a smirk plastered across his face. _

_"Sorry, wrong person." He pushes the exit door open, seeing the boys beginning to rush him. _

_He runs down one flight of stairs before hearing the door being thrown open. His heart pounds and he attempts to control his breathing as he jumps over stairs. He gasps and stumbles backwards seeing the first man smiling in front of him._   
  
_"Oh shit-" he turns back but the two other men grab him. _

_"What are you running from, Wooyoung?" The man keeps his smile, stepping closer. He looks around and chuckles at the lack of security cameras in the building. "Let's go buy some drinks at the store, then we can have a nice conversation." _

_*_

_Chung Hyeop doesn't look up as the door to the store opens. He puts his phone in his pocket and stands, preparing for the customer to come up to the counter. _

_Two boys approach the front counter and Chung Hyeop instantly recognizes them. His cheeks numb with anxiety, looking at the one's pale face. _

_"Evening, Baron." The other man smiles, placing everything on the counter. He sees Chung Hyeop twitch at him using his real name. "Just this, please." _

_"ID?" Chung Hyeop glares. _

_"Wooyoung, give him your ID." _

_Wooyoung gets his wallet and shakily pulls his ID out, handing it to his friend. Chung Hyeop scans it and places it on the counter, ringing up the items without looking away from the boy. He tells them the total and Wooyoung swipes his debit card. _

_"Baron, buddy. You're coming with us, right?." He rests a hand on Wooyoung's shoulder, making the boy wince as he digs his nails in his skin. _

_Chung Hyeop shakes, knowing he can't just leave work but he isn't going to leave Wooyoung in danger. Without a word, he grabs his jacket from the chair behind him and walks out with the two. As they reach the lot, Chung Hyeop sees another familiar boy leaning against his car. They yell for him to unlock it. He takes a deep breath before pressing the button on the key fob. The boy hops in the passenger's seat, resting his feet on the dash. _

_The man pushes Wooyoung back into his car. Chung Hyeop greets the boy in his car as he gets in his driver's seat. _

_"It's been awhile, Baron." The boy throws his feet down as Chung Hyeop glares at them. _

_"Shut up, Zehan." He bites, pulling out of the parking lot before his boss chases after him. _

_"Still mean." _

_Chung Hyeop speeds off, following Wooyoung back to his apartment. He pulls into a parking spot and Zehan jumps out to meet with the others. Wooyoung leads the way to his apartment, still unsure who these people are and how they are forcing him to do everything. Everyone gathers in the living room, Chung Hyeop keeping close to Wooyoung’s side. _

_“Chung Hyeop, be a dear and tell me about this new boy Yoonho’s been thinking about.” The man slings his arm over Wooyoung’s shoulder, staring over to Chung Hyeop. “I want to kill him.”_

_“Your tricks don’t work on me, Xiao.” Chung Hyeop glares. _

_Xiao nods and smiles. “Then maybe Wooyoung knows?” His hand rests on Wooyoung’s throat and he pulls his head back, feeling his pulse raise._

_“Wooyoung don’t-” Chung Hyeop tries to reach over to touch Wooyoung to block Xiao’s magic but the other boys grab him and pull him away. _

_“His name is Hosung-” Wooyoung begins but is cut off by Xiao’s hand tightening around his throat. _

_Xiao snarls and digs his nails into Wooyoung’s neck. His eyes darken and he shakes in anger, baring his fangs. Chung Hyeop attempts to break free, kicking Zehan in the leg. They both fall to the ground, the other boy struggling to keep his grip. Wooyoung freezes in fear, closing his eyes and bracing for death. _

_He gasps out and loses his footing as he feels a sharp sting on his shoulder. Chung Hyeop yells out, breaking free and running over. Wooyoung’s body collapses to the floor and Xiao stares down, proud of his work. Chung Hyeop falls to Wooyoung’s side, knowing he can’t keep him from turning. _

_The three boys leave without another word. Wooyoung arcs his back and cries out in pain, feeling toxins course through his veins. Chung Hyeop watches him, feeling nauseous. He can’t tell Yoonho that Wooyoung is a vampire. He can’t tell him that Xiao’s back. Xiao must be the one that kills Hosung. That’s why they all know who it is. _

_Wooyoung grabs Chung Hyeop’s arm and pulls into his lap. “What the fuck happened?”_

_“Xiao just turned you into a vampire.” Chung Hyeop braces for Wooyoung to make a comment._

_“I think I’ve seen him at Hosung’s office. How does he know Yoonho?” He feels dizzy as he sits up. “Into a what?!” _

_“He’s Yoonho’s ex. He’s the one that set Jacob up to look bad. Yoonho left him after he found out and that psycho decided that Yoonho can’t feel love anymore so he kills everyone that he meets.” _

_“You’re saying this as if it’s a regular thing.” _

_Chung Hyeop shrugs lightly. “Well, Yoonho falls in love easily.” _

_Wooyoung carefully looks at the wound on his shoulder and winces. “What does this mean for me?” _

_“Uh, well, I’m not a vampire so I don’t know what to really tell you but I know that it’s really not at all like the movies. I don’t think the whole blood thing is really important.” He scratches the back of his head. “I can maybe ask Heejun if he has any books. Shit, Yoonho's gonna be pissed. You can't tell him anything." _

_“Why?”_

_“After hearing what the boys did to Jacob, Yoonho just assumes that all vampires are monsters. Just please, keep it a secret, I don’t think he can deal with more betrayal.” _

\---

Hosung coughs awake, jumping up when he remembers what happened. He sees Wooyoung sitting beside him and he realizes he’s at Wooyoung’s apartment. 

“I’m sorry.” Wooyoung says quietly, staring at the wall. 

“What-” Hosung stops, feeling hands rest on his shoulders. His head snaps back and sees Zehan glaring down to him. He looks back in front of him and widens his eyes. Xiao smirks over to him, arms crossed. “What are you doing?” 

“You’re the fucker that Yoonho’s been drooling over?” Xiao chuckles. “Pathetic. And to think I trusted you as a boss.” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“There’s no point in talking to a dead man.” 

Hosung gasps as Zehan wraps his arm around his neck to hold him back. Xiao walks over and kicks his boot into Hosung’s stomach. Wooyoung closes his eyes, not wanting to see the pain Hosung’s in. He hears a sudden loud cry, followed by a choked cough. His eyes water as he looks over. Hosung’s mouth hangs open in shock, blood slowly dripping from his lips. His hand covers his stomach as he shakes violently. 

Xiao steps back and looks over to the young boy standing to the side, handing him a bloody knife. “Finish him off.” 

Hosung stares over to the boy with a pleading look. “Gyeoul-” His voice is quiet as he feels more blood creep up his throat. “Please.” 

Gyeoul holds his breath as he meets eyes his Hosung. Xiao yells at him to hurry up but he just grips the knife tighter. Wooyoung covers his face and stands, walking behind Zehan. He turns and looks over to Gyeoul, twitching his cheek. Gyeoul takes a deep breath and nods. Wooyoung jumps forward, wrapping his arm around Zehan’s throat and pulling him back. 

Xiao’s eyes widen as he feels a sharp sting in his stomach. His eyes darken and he glares up as Gyeoul steps away quickly. 

“Hosung, go!” Gyeoul yells out. 

Hosung gets to his feet quickly and begins to run to the door. Xiao grabs the knife from Gyeoul’s hand and wildly stabs down as Hosung rushes away. Hosung gasps, falling to the floor. He twitches and spits blood onto the carpet. Wooyoung cries out and nearly loses his grip. Gyeoul quickly wraps his arms around Xiao’s torso, pulling him away. Hosung holds his breath through the pain, running out of the apartment. He pushes the doors to the stairs open and makes his escape. 

Wooyoung’s body flies back into the wall as Zehan breaks free. The boy rushes to Xiao and checks his wound. He turns to Gyeoul, who stumbles back in fear. Xiao straightens himself and grabs Gyeoul’s shirt, pulling him closer. 

“I will kill you.” He growls before pushing him back. 

Xiao storms out of the apartment, Zehan running out with him. Wooyoung drops to the floor and bursts into tears, knowing he can’t stop Xiao from catching Hosung. 

\---

Chung Hyeop pulls Yoonho to his feet. He desperately wants Yoonho to just get back in the car and drive home. The two turn when they hear panicked coughs in the distance. They see Hosung stumble down the path of the park. Yoonho instantly runs towards him. 

“Yoonho, stop!” Chung Hyeop attempts to grab him but he’s too fast. 

Hosung stops at the fountain, leaning down and puking a mix of blood and bile. He looks up, seeing Yoonho rushing towards him. His skin pales from blood loss and he attempts to straighten himself. He twitches, the world around him warping, wishing he had the strength to yell for Yoonho to stop. 

Yoonho pushes through his pain to get to Hosung. His chest burns as he tries not to cry. Hosung feels his body giving out and tries to keep himself up. Yoonho reaches out but as he grabs him, a loud shot rings through the air. He gasps and the two stare in shock. Blood splatters past his lips as he feels the pain in his back. His body falls forward into Hosung’s and the two lose their footing. They collapse back into the fountain. Hosung braces for the impact, feeling the water rush over his body. Everything turns black as he waits to hit the bottom of the fountain. 

_“I’m sorry, Yoonho.”_


	4. Chapter 4

[Lou Hosung - 12:24am]: Hey..

[Yoonho - 12:25am]: whats up

[Lou Hosung - 12:30am]: I know it’s late but do you want to come over for a bit? 

[Yoonho - 12:32am]: tough question…  
[Yoonho - 12:32am]: Sure 

Yoonho doesn’t immediately go to leave. He wonders if he should just back out in case he gets too attached. Maybe Chung Hyeop was right, maybe he should make Hosung’s life as enjoyable. Even if that just means hanging out with him for a night. He knows exactly what Hosung wants. And honestly, if he’s right, he won’t be upset. He gets frustrated with his thoughts and jumps out of bed to get dressed. 

Hosung opens the door and smiles awkwardly to the boy standing in front of him. They greet each other and Yoonho steps inside. He takes his shoes off and slowly walks into the living room. Hosung can’t help but stare at Yoonho as he sits down. 

“Do you want a drink?” He asks, feeling his body tremble with anxiety. 

“Why? Trying to get me drunk?” Yoonho smirks up to him, making his pulse spike. He leans back and looks over to the kitchen, eyeing the bottles of liquor on the back counter. “I’ll take your favorite.” 

Hosung walks to the kitchen to make the drinks. He thinks for a minute, not sure he can really pick a favorite drink. Looking at his options, he decides on a whiskey sour. Yoonho plays on his phone while he waits for Hosung to finish the drinks. He doesn’t notice his leg bouncing in anxiety. 

He looks up as Hosung walks over, handing him a glass. Hosung sits across him on the couch and sips at his drink. His brow raises as Yoonho drinks half the glass in one sip. The boy’s face twists slightly and he shakes his head. 

“I don’t know how to pace myself.” Yoonho clears his throat. 

Hosung’s lip twitches up. “Cute.” 

Yoonho’s cheeks burn and he looks away to hide his face. He feels Hosung’s hand touch his cheek, pulling his head to look back at him. His heart flips in his chest as their eyes meet. Yoonho’s mouth hangs open slightly and he instinctively leans forward. 

They both close their eyes as Hosung leans in. Yoonho lets out a gasp as he feels Hosung’s lips press against his own. He rests his hand on Hosung’s thigh, leaning into the kiss more. Hosung twitches, pushing Yoonho back into the couch. Yoonho grabs his shirt to pull him on top of him. His hand travels Hosung’s torso and tangles his fingers in his hair.

Hosung pulls off to get a proper breath, pulling Yoonho’s shirt off over his head. He stares at his body and can’t help but notice a scar across his abdomen. Yoonho looks up at him after feeling his fingers caress the scar. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Yoonho whispers, kissing Hosung’s curiosity away. 

His head rolls back as Hosung buries into his neck. He wraps his arm around Hosung’s back, digging his nails into his skin. Hosung shivers, unable to hold himself back anymore. Yoonho gasps and chokes a moan as Hosung wraps his hand tightly around his throat. Hosung smirks at the positive response and decides to make his next move. He grabs Yoonho and leads him across the loft, towards his bedroom. Yoonho can’t help but gawk at the large room and king bed against the wall. 

Hosung walks him to the bed, grabbing his hips before he pushes him back. Yoonho stares up to him as he pulls his shirt off. He holds his breath waiting for Hosung’s next move. His pulse rises as he feels his stomach burn slightly. He tries to ignore it as he crawls back, resting his head on the pillows. Hosung leans over him to steal a few more kisses before tugging at Yoonho’s belt. 

He stops and pulls away as Yoonho grabs his arm. “Are you okay?” 

“Blood-” Yoonho sits up and covers his mouth, feeling a warm liquid creep up his throat. 

Hosung stops him from running off and shivers as blood pours past Yoonho’s lips and stains his palm. “I like blood.” 

“You’re not secretly a vampire are you?” Yoonho stares down in shock as the blood spills onto the floor. 

“Are-are they real?” 

“Unfortunately.” He snarls quietly. “I’ll take it as a no and that you’re just kinky.” 

He looks to Hosung who can’t take his eyes off Yoonho’s hand. Hosung twitches slightly, pulling Yoonho’s chin up, seeing a drip of blood fall from his bottom lip. 

“Are you going to be okay?” He leans closer to Yoonho’s face. 

Yoonho nods but looks back to the floor. “I’m sorry.” 

“For getting my floor dirty?” Hosung smirks. “I’m used to it.” 

Yoonho closes his eyes as Hosung pushes his body back into the bed and crawls on top of him. 

\---

“Ayno!” Chung Hyeop screams as he runs down the path towards the fountain. He feels hands grab his arms and pull him back. “No! Let me go! Ayno!”

“Chung Hyeop, don’t- just go home, please.” Wooyoung wraps his arms around Chung Hyeop, pushing his head in his chest. 

“No! You fucking shot him!” Tears stream down his face as he pushes the other away. “Why?” 

“I didn’t want to.” 

Chung Hyeop shakes as he holds himself back from attacking Wooyoung. He knows it wasn’t his fault but right now he doesn’t care. “Let me go.” 

“No.” 

“Please, don’t make me hurt you.” His voice cracks as he stares at his friend, who seems to be close to breaking down himself.

"Baron-" he looks over as Gyeoul whispers in his ear. "Go get Ziu and go home before Xiao gets here." 

\---

“Noh Yoonho, what are you doing home at 4 in the fucking morning?” Chung Hyeop glares at the boy from down the hallway after hearing the stairs creak. 

Yoonho’s cheeks flush slightly and he smiles awkwardly. “Heh, I uh- was at Hosung’s.” 

Chung Hyeop uncrosses his arms and widens his eyes when he sees blood on Yoonho’s jeans. “What happened?” 

“Oh-I puked a little blood because I’m not supposed to be around Hosung.” 

“So stay with him?” 

“I make bad decisions and you know that.” 

Chung Hyeop shakes his head and walks back into his bedroom. “You’re lucky I love you.” 

“We can get ice cream tomorrow!” Yoonho yells as his friend closes his door. 

He smiles to himself as he walks into his own room. Even if it nearly killed him, he really enjoyed his night. It will help him get his mind off wondering what being with Hosung feels like. Oh god..If Wooyoung finds out he will be pissed. 

The next afternoon, the boys roll out of bed and into the hallway. Chung Hyeop pushes Yoonho and claims the bathroom first. The younger turns and hops down the stairs and towards the kitchen to make the two some sort of breakfast. 

He opens the cupboard and stares at the lack of food. Maybe they should just go out to eat instead like they normally do. So much for saving money by eating at home. Maybe they can have their ice cream date for breakfast instead. It’s doubtful that Chung Hyeop will contest the idea. 

The older boy yells for Yoonho to take a shower because he doubts he did last night. Yoonho sighs and groans as he climbs back up the stairs. He grabs a change of clothes from his room and heads to the bathroom. 

His shirt flops to the floor after he tugs it off his body. He stares down at his abdomen, hand caressing the scar just below his stomach. 

\---

Gyeoul bounces his leg anxiously as he sits in the back of Wooyoung's cafe. He smiles softly up to Wooyoung as he places a cup in front of him. 

"I'm tired of Xiao taking control of us." His lip twitches.

"I don't want Hosung to get hurt." Wooyoung sits across from him.

Gyeoul stares at the table, stirring his coffee slowly. "If Yoonho tries to change everything, it will make things worse."

Wooyoung's stomach twists. "You and I both know that he won't let Hosung die." 

"Ace, we need to stop him." He sighs and looks around to make sure the cashier is in the back. "Him being linked with Hosung is the only thing that will kill him. But one thing can paralyze him." Wooyoung watches as he digs in his pocket, placing something carefully on the table. 

Wooyoung grabs it and hides it in his palm. "You want to shoot him?" 

"Silver is every creature's kryptonite. He'll be hurt but he won't die." 

"I don't know if I can do that. He's my friend." 

"Then both of them die. You've got to make a choice." He stands and walks out, leaving Wooyoung holding the bullet tightly in his hand. 

\---

There is a knock on Hosung's office door. He is surprised to see his former employee, holding a lunchbox and a small coffee cup. 

"Gyeoul?" Hosung greets him. "What are you doing here?" 

"I brought you lunch." The boy sets the food on the desk. 

Hosung raises a brow and smiles softly to Gyeoul. "Is there something bothering you?" 

"You've always seen right through me, boss." 

He gestures for Gyeoul to sit. "Do you guys need to come back to work?" 

"I need to get away from the others." He fidgets. "Or can I just bring you coffee everyday to make it less obvious that I'm hiding?" 

"Of course. My door is always open." 

Gyeoul smiles up to him and nods. 

\---

Geumhyuk jumps as his front door is thrown open. He stares at the frantic boy in rushing into the apartment. 

"Ziu!" Chung Hyeop yells out, running down the hall. “Help!” 

Geumhyuk can tell something is seriously wrong if Chung Hyeop is using their real names. The two run to Heejun's office. 

Heejun looks up and Chung Hyeop instantly bursts into tears. 

"Ayno-" He gasps before falling into Heejun's chest. 

"What? What happened?" Heejun tries not to panic, instinctively grabbing his potion kit. 

"They shot him. He fell into the fountain. Xiao is trying to kill him. He was hurt-"

Heejun grabs Chung Hyeop's shoulders. "Was it silver?" 

Chung Hyeop's crying gets harder as he tries to remember. "I don't know. I was too far away. We need to get to him!" 

Geumhyuk feels his face numb with fear. His best friend was just shot and he can't even go try to help him. He steps back and feels his head spin slightly. "Where's Hosung?" 

“He disappeared.” Chung Hyeop grabs at his hair, trying to calm himself down. 

Heejun widens his eyes. “Did he go through the portal?” 

Everyone stares quietly, Geumhyuk having hope that he can actually come save Yoonho. The three instantly run back down to Chung Hyeop’s car. As he drives to the fountain, he panics at the thought of the police being there. He passed four cop cars and an ambulance on the way to Heejun’s. They just need to make it to the fountain and everything will be fine. But they can’t go through the portal if there are witnesses. And Geumhyuk isn’t even sure he can use enough of his human magic to get him over. 

\---

Hosung only sees black as his body gently floats down. Though he can't seem to open his eyes, he can tell he hasn't hit the bottom of the fountain. He feels the weight of Yoonho's body on top of him and wraps his arms around him as Yoonho gently falls to the side. 

His head suddenly hits something hard and he slowly opens his eyes. He is confused by a sea of leaves and branches above him.

_Am I dead? _

He weakly looks to the side and sees a body lying there motionless. Their skin is a light purple, freckled with a dark blue. He knows it has to be Yoonho but it doesn't look like him. His ears peek out of his hair, revealing a slight point. 

"Yoonho?" He shakes at the boy's torso. Tears form in his eyes as Yoonho doesn't move. "Oh god, please wake up." 

He pulls away and twitches in pain. His body trembles and he feels the blood on his shirt cool against his skin. 

"Yoonho.." He falls back hard against the dirt and he closes his eyes, accepting that this is really it for him. 

_Hosung, I know you can hear me. I'm still here. Don’t give up. You can't give up._

\---

Gyeoul grabs Wooyoung’s wrist and runs towards the forest at the edge of the park. He looks back as he hears sirens in the distance. Wooyoung tries to keep himself from having a panic attack as they run away. Gyeoul flings his hand out in front of him. A bright light shoots from his palm and Wooyoung stares in shock as a portal forms in the air. 

The two run into it and their bodies fly forward. Wooyoung groans as he hits the ground hard. He looks around and notices the sudden lack of sirens. Gyeoul helps him to his feet and dusts his jacket off. Wooyoung notices his eyes are black and wonders if he looks the same. 

“Sorry, I should have warned you.” Gyeoul sighs. 

“Where are we?” Wooyoung stares around at the dark forest. 

“Home.” He smiles. “It’s the best place to hide out until everything dies down at the park.” 

“Where’s Hosung and Yoonho?” 

“A different place. We- can’t go there.” 

Wooyoung feels his chest ache. “So, we can’t save them?” 

Gyeoul lowers his head and swallows hard. “I’m sorry. Let’s just-go back to my place and get something to eat before Xiao figures out we’re here.” 

The two begin to walk through the forest, Wooyoung assumes to a nearby town. He notices that Gyeoul has started to walk behind him. Gyeoul tells him to keep walking and he’ll say where to go. Wooyoung continues on, slightly creeped out by the darkness of the new world around him. 

“Ace?” The boy stops and stares at Wooyoung as he turns around. A smirk grows across his face. 

Wooyoung gasps as force hits his chest. He stares in shock, hearing a ringing in his ears. “Why?” His knees give out and he weakly grasps Gyeoul’s arm, trying to grab the gun in his hand. Gyeoul stebs back, letting Wooyoung fall to the ground. 

“Thanks for everything.” 

\---

Yoonho and Chung Hyeop sit in the back of a restaurant, picking at a large bowl of ice cream. They take turns telling stories and laughing loudly, happy to finally have time together to hang out like they used to. 

“So was it everything you dreamt of?” Chung Hyeop asks, raising his brow as he shovels ice cream into his mouth. 

“Huh?” Yoonho tilts his head. 

“Sleeping with pretty boy.” 

Yoonho’s face turns pink and he hides it in his sleeve. “We didn’t actually do anything. But I’d definitely kiss him again.” 

“You’re blushing like a moron.” 

“Shut up!” 

Chung Hyeop can’t help but laugh at his friend being a mess. He wishes that Yoonho could keep this happiness, knowing his last few relationships didn’t end well. But knowing that Hosung is going to die soon is keeping him from celebrating fully. 

“You’re a fool, falling for a human, you know.” He smiles over to his friend. 

“I guess I am.” Yoonho attempts to smile back but it falls as he thinks about everything. “If I can save him, I don’t know how to explain to him that he won’t die with him.” His chest aches, there’s no way he can be with a human. Hosung can’t even come to his world. No one has figured out how to bring a human over, and they aren’t even sure they really want to. And like he said, even if he saves him, Yoonho will live hundreds of years longer than Hosung. 

“You really want to be with him forever?” Chung Hyeop tries to hide his frown. “He really did whip you hard.” 

\---

Yoonho walks out of the bank, towards the parking lot. He checks his phone and smiles down at a text from Hosung. 

[Lou Hosung - 4:47pm]: Coffee?

[Yoonho - 4:50pm]: at Szeret? 

[Lou Hosung - 4:52pm]: Wooyoung might be working..

[Yoonho - 4:53pm]: that’s okay. He wont say anything. 

[Lou Hosung - 4:55pm]: okay, ill meet you there 

He gets in the car and begins his drive across town. Part of him wishes he had time to go home and change out of his work suit. These dress shoes are killing him. He is slightly worried that Wooyoung will get angry seeing the two together but Szeret is everyone’s favorite cafe. Yoonho used to go every day when he first came to his world. 

Eventually, Wooyoung and him became close friends. Yoonho started to bring Chung Hyeop to show him the wonders of different coffees. They all got close but it took the two 4 years to actually tell Wooyoung the truth about their lives. Yoonho smiles to himself, remembering the color draining from the boy’s face. Wooyoung continued to deny it was real but when Yoonho had a vision about him. Chung Hyeop reading his mind about having to fire someone made his belief stronger. 

He was so lost in thought that he barely notices he is pulling into the lot behind the cafe. The only cars he sees are Wooyoung’s and his cashier so he knows he’s here before Hosung. He walks in the door and breathes in the smell of coffee beans and chocolate pastries. That smell will never get old. 

The woman at the counter greets Yoonho and he smiles over. She usually remembers people's regular orders but Yoonho always seems to get something different each time. It’s always entertaining to see his eyes sparkle at the season drinks. 

“Are you looking for Wooyoung?” She greets him. 

“Not today. I’m meeting someone.” Yoonho replies, wondering what drink he wants to get today. “I think I want hot chocolate.” 

“Large?” 

He nods and hands her money. “Having a good day?” 

“It hasn’t been bad, had one old woman yell at me because we ran out of hazelnut creamer. But a man tipped me and told her to get lost. So, who are you meeting?” 

Yoonho begins to reply but looks to the door as it chimes. He can’t help but smile over at the tall boy walking towards him. His eyes travel down to his hand. Hosung tightly clutches a bouquet of spring flowers. The cashier can’t help but stand back, watching them with a large smile on her face. 

“I-uh-flowers.” Hosung clears his throat, holding out the bouquet. “If it’s too much, I’m sorry I can take them back.” 

Yoonho takes them and feels a warmth creep up his cheeks. He stares at the flowers, reminding him of his home. His lips twitch up as he attempts not to tear up. “I love them.” 

“Are you okay?” 

The cashier pouts slightly as Yoonho walks out of listening distance and decides it’s time to make his drink. Hosung follows him over and asks him again if he’s alright. Yoonho inhales the scent of the flowers, feeling his body tremble slightly. He feels a tear fall down his cheek and he quickly wipes it away. 

“I miss my home.” Yoonho whispers. 

Hosung smiles softly to him and grabs his hand. “You can go back, yeah?” 

“I’m not ready-” He sits down at the table to his side and Hosung follows suit. “Chung Hyeop and I had to watch our families die and Heejun ordered us to stay here until things calmed down after the war.” 

“What happened?” 

Yoonho visibly winces as he recalls everything. “It was all our fault. If we hadn’t brought Jacob to our clan, we wouldn’t have started anything. He had to kill a lot of people that he used to love just to survive. We knew he didn’t want to but it was to keep us all safe. But some people in the clan disagreed with the slaughter and the war started.” He looks up to Hosung and sighs. “It’s complicated.” 

“I know I can’t understand everything, I’m always here if you need anything.” 

“These flowers-” he smiles, “grew around my home. You wouldn’t see the four of us without one of these flowers behind our ears.” His eyes glimmer as Hosung grabs one of the flowers. He sits still as he tucks it under Yoonho’s ear. 

“It’s beautiful.” 

“You should see the real me. You thought this was hot-” 

Hosung snorts and sits back in his chair, admiring Yoonho. He crosses his arms and smiles. “You’re cute, you know?” 

\---

Hosung stares at the sky above him, amazed that it’s not hot despite the sun beating down over him. With the last of his strength, he reaches across the grass to a small patch of flowers. He picks it and looks at the petals, so pure and sweet smelling. It’s a shame the stem is now printed with blood from his fingertips. 

He twitches a smile, turning to the body laying at his side. His eyes water as he tucks the stem carefully behind Yoonho’s ear. He lies back down into the grass and closes his eyes. A tear falls from his eye, feeling a hand softly grab his own. 

_I’ve missed my home._


	5. Chapter 5

Yoonho’s head swings back as he feels his body being lifted from the ground. He has enough strength to open his eyes and see Heejun’s face above him. His arm falls limp to his side, reaching to the ground blindly for Hosung’s hand. He twitches before falling back into his comatose. 

\---

The sun shines brightly through a sky panel, onto a sleeping boy’s face. He lies still, trying to stay asleep a little longer. His eyes twitch as the sun forces them open. He stares at the ceiling, remembering everything that happened. 

His hand slowly travels to his chest, feeling a gauze over his wound. The bullet must have passed through his body completely. He trembles as he sits up, pain shooting through his body. His wakefulness alerts another body in the corner. Chung Hyeop jumps out of his chair and over to the bed. 

“Ayno, you’re awake.” He carefully places his hand over his friend’s shoulder. 

“Hosung-” Yoonho stares up to him, eyes turning red from the tears creeping over his waterline. 

Chung Hyeop doesn’t say anything, bringing Yoonho to his feet. He keeps his arm around his torso to help him stay standing as they walk out to the hallway. Yoonho looks around at the decor, a smile creeping as they pass the familiar paintings on the walls. It’s been too long since he’s been home but it feels painful to be back. 

He stares at his friend as he pushes a door open. Chung Hyeop walks in and motions for Yoonho to follow. He slowly steps through the doorway and freezes, looking up to the bed in the corner. Hosung lies peacefully in a bed of spring flowers. His body is covered with a white cotton blanket and his face is pale. Yoonho feels his stomach twist and he forces himself to step forward. He looks around to see an orb flying across the room. It lands softly in his palm as he holds it out. 

“Hosung, I’m glad you’re here.” He smiles, whispering to the light. 

\---

Yoonho walks out to the garden, closing his eyes as the sun hits his skin. He takes a deep breath, smelling the flowers he has missed for years. 

“Ayno, what are you doing out of bed?” His head snaps to the left as he hears a familiar voice yelling to him. 

He widens his eyes and his mouth falls open slightly in surprise. “Geumhyuk? How did you get here?” 

Geumhyuk smiles and walks over to him. “Let’s just say it was the power of friendship.” 

Yoonho’s eyes crinkle as he chuckles. “Do I get to call you St. Van now?” His friend shrugs and he laughs again. “Welcome to our home.” 

“It’s beautiful here.” Geumhyuk’s smile falls slightly. “I’m glad you’re okay, buddy.”

“Have you seen Ziu?” 

“He went out to get some supplies for something.” 

Yoonho nods and thanks him, sitting softly between two rows of flowers. His fingers dig into the soil and he looks up to Geumhyuk. “Do you want some tea?” 

Geumhyuk lets out a loud laugh. “Maybe later, Heejun’ll be back soon and he wanted help with some potions.” 

“It’s a bit weird seeing you here. I bet seeing us look like this is a shock, too.” 

He watches Geumhyuk look him up and down before chuckling. “It was a bit surprising to see it in person but I guess I have to get used to it.” 

Yoonho jumps to his feet, ignoring his pain as he happily grabs Geumhyuk’s arm. “Are you staying?” 

Geumhyuk sighs and looks around at the lush forest surrounding the large stone mansion. “I don’t know if I’d really be welcome here as a human.” 

“Geumhyuk, you’re welcome here.” He leans closer to his friend’s ear. “No one would say anything again after the war.” 

\---

Yoonho sits quietly beside Hosung’s bed. He smiles at the spirit orb flying around his head. His hand rests softly in Hosung’s palm. The spirit orb gently floats in front of Yoonho’s face and he holds his other hand out for it to land. 

“You’re awfully energetic today.” He raises a brow as he whispers to the orb. “Are you starting to feel better?” 

“Ayno, it’s time for your medicine.” The orb flies across the room as Heejun walks in, holding a basket filled with potions and cotton gauzes. He sets everything down on a table and walks over, handing Yoonho a bottle. “He’s getting stronger. His wounds were bad but he’s a fighter. I expect him to wake up any day now.” 

Yoonho’s face twists as he drinks the medicine in one quick swing. “I tried to give him energy but I was too weak.” He lowers his head and can’t help but squeeze Hosung’s hand. “He’ll be safer here as long as the dark forest portal stays closed but I’m afraid that when he goes back home, I won’t be able to protect him.” 

Heejun sighs and rests his hand on Yoonho’s shoulder. “For now, just focus on getting better, yourself.” His brow furrows as he stares at his friend. “Where’s your crown?” 

Yoonho grabs at his hair and panic slightly. He has no idea where his crown is. It’s been so long that he assumed it was lost when he went to the human world. “I-don’t know.” 

“I left it in your room. I assume you haven’t left Hosung’s side to see it. Go get some rest before dinner. I need to change his bandages.” 

\---

Yoonho walks into his bedroom and stares at the pile of his belongings on his bed. He picks up the bronze crown, twisted to look like rose stems. The front has two emeralds with a large ruby in the center. He sets it to the side and grabs at a longsword in its sheath. His hands tremble as he remembers having to fight through a mob of protesters to get to the portal. Though he was taught how to fight as he grew up, he never really cared for violence. It hurt his soul having to kill anyone in his life. 

_At least things have calmed down.._

He grabs the crown and carefully places it on his head, catching his reflection in the mirror. His lip twitches up, happy to feel normal again. Before he goes to help Chung Hyeop with dinner, he changes into clean clothes, tired of the linen robe he’s worn for who knows how many days. 

\---

“Can you set up the kettle for tea?” Chung Hyeop asks Yoonho as he walks into the kitchen. 

Yoonho smooths his tunic and reaches for the kettle sitting on the stovetop. He walks to the sink and stares into space. Chung Hyeop turns to him and notices his stupor. 

“Are you okay?” He walks over, leaning in front of Yoonho’s face. 

Yoonho blinks and shakes his head, looking to his friend and forcing a smile. “Yeah, sorry.” 

He goes quiet and fills the kettle with water, placing it heavily on the burner. Chung Hyeop assumes he had a vision but doesn’t pry. He continues to prepare dinner and tells Yoonho to go back to the garden. 

Yoonho sighs but doesn’t contest, dragging his feet towards the hallway. He stops and stares at the other end. A figure stands there, back to him. He steps forward but stops again as they begin to turn. 

Hosung meets eyes with him and his heart flutters. He moves his feet towards the boy. Hosung steps back and flinches slightly. Yoonho pauses and gasps, stopping in his place. 

“Hosung-” He slowly reaches his hand out. “You’re awake.”

“Yoonho?” Hosung’s mouth hangs open as he stares at the crown on Yoonho’s head. “Where am I?” 

Yoonho smiles and excitedly grabs Hosung’s hand. “Home. Oh! Are you in pain? I can get Ziu to bring you some medicine, we’re making tea if you want some.” 

“I like your crown.” He points to the headpiece, still not sure he is really awake. 

“Thank you, my mother made it for me.” He stops and lowers his head, feeling a pain in his chest. 

Hosung winces and apologizes softly, looking around at the large hallway. “This place, it’s- more modern than I expected.” 

Yoonho lets out a quiet laugh. “It’s 2020, Hosung. We evolve here, too. Of course, things are different, but we have electricity and running water.” 

He pulls Hosung down the hallway, towards the kitchen. Hosung is shocked by the size of it. The countertops are lined with marble and the appliances look brand new. He is suddenly hit by the smell of food and his stomach growls. 

Chung Hyeop pulls away from the stove and happily greets the two. Hosung notices the identical crown on Chung Hyeop’s head. He wonders if everyone here has these crowns. Yoonho sits him down at the island and goes over to his friend. 

“Baron-ah, did you make the tea?” Yoonho hangs on the boy’s shoulder. 

“I did, but dinner’s almost done and Ziu is in his office. Can you get him? I think Van is with him.” Chung Hyeop slowly pushes Yoonho off and leads him to the doorway. 

Yoonho groans loudly and walks out, telling Hosung he will be back in a minute. Hosung nods and looks over to Chung Hyeop. He picks anxiously at his fingernail, a bit distracted by Chung Hyeop’s skin. It’s the same as Yoonho’s, a light shade of purple and blue specks, freckling his face and body. 

“You, uh, also have a crown?” Hosung questions. 

Chung Hyeop turns the stove off and looks to Hosung. “Well yeah, I’m a prince.” 

“A prince? So, what about Yoonho-?” 

“He’s also a prince. We own this land together as brothers because we have special abilities. Yoonho’s family owns the light forest, I own the townes, Heejun owns the medical industry, and Jacob’s family owned the dark forest. Did Yoonho really not tell you?” 

Hosung shakes his head and stares in disbelief. “Wow-” 

The two are cut off as Yoonho peeks his head in. “Hosung, come to the dining room.” 

\---

Wooyoung gasps awake and jumps up from a bed, grabbing a silver candlestick as a weapon as he hears someone walk into the room. He stares at a figure stepping towards him. They put their hands up in defense. Wooyoung stumbles back and holds his weapon out, swinging blindly at the shadow.

“Ace, calm down. It’s just me.” The boy quickly grabs the candlestick and sets it back on the table, turning on the lamp by the bedside. 

Wooyoung stares with wide eyes. “Jacob?” He grabs his chest as pain shoots across it. 

Jacob quickly grabs for Wooyoung and leads him back to the bed. “Lie down, you’ll hurt yourself.”

“I thought you were dead. What happened?”

“Xiao brought me back to life and threw me through the portal.” He pulls the blanket over Wooyoung’s body and hands him a glass of water. “I’m sorry for what he did to you.”

Wooyoung’s throat stings as he drinks. “I don't care about that! Gyeoul fucking shot me! Wait-” He stares up to Jacob’s black eyes and furrows his brow. “You’re not fae?” 

“I am.” Jacob nods. “My mother was fae and my father is a vampire.” 

“Oh, okay. Where are we?” 

“Xiao’s.” 

Wooyoung jumps up again but Jacob pushes him back down. “He’s going to kill me.” 

“He’s dead.” Jacob twitches. “They’re all dead.” 

\---

Hosung quietly eats his food, staring awkwardly at Yoonho, across the table from him. He can’t take his eyes off his crown. The thought of Yoonho being a prince that lives in a mansion just seems odd to him. In Hosung’s world, Yoonho wasn’t exactly poor but he wasn’t rolling in the riches. Hosung wanted to spoil Yoonho with new things but it seems like he has everything he wants here. 

Yoonho catches his staring and smiles softly. “Are you enjoying your meal?” 

Hosung nods, amazed by the large spread of expensive beef and homemade side dishes. “It’s delicious. It’s a lot of food and I feel bad not being very hungry.” 

“Ziu will finish it, don’t worry.” 

“I appreciate it.” Hosung nods to Heejun, unable to take his eyes off his crown. It has more jewels around it, including diamonds and seems to be made of gold instead of bronze. “Can I ask you a question, Hee-uh, Ziu?”

“He wants to know about your crown.“ Chung Hyeop jumps in, unable to keep himself from smiling. He can’t help himself from reading someone’s mind. “Ah, heh sorry.” 

“It’s different from theirs.” Hosung scratches awkwardly at his face. 

Heejun cracks a smile and nods. “My ancestors founded this land so I am technically the real prince of the land.” He pauses and seems to think for a moment. “Once I marry, I will be the king but I’d prefer to share the land with my brothers.” 

“Ah, okay. Makes sense.” Hosung looks to his plate and picks at his food before finally setting his silverware down. 

\---

Yoonho attaches his sword to the belt around his hips and walks out to the garden. He sees Hosung enjoying the rows of flowers and vegetables that surround him. Hosung turns as he hears someone coming towards him. Yoonho smiles at the flower in Hosung’s hand. 

Hosung reaches up and tucks the flower behind Yoonho’s ear. 

He notices the sword and raises a brow. “What’s that for?” 

“I’m going to town. We carry them with us as a symbol of respect.”

“Can I come with you?” Hosung braces for Yoonho to say no. 

“That’s why I was looking for you!” Yoonho can’t help but jump excitedly. “I want to show you my land and my people. But- please call me Ayno once we get there.” 

“O-okay.” 

“Let’s go!” Yoonho grabs his wrist and walks him to the front of the mansion. At this point, he expects many expensive cars but instead, he only sees a stone walkway. “It’s not too far, thankfully.”

“Are we walking?” 

“Yeah, we don’t really have cars here but it’s only 2 miles away and we can take breaks whenever you need.” 

“I guess that’s a difference in this place.” Hosung worries that the amount of walking will be painful but hopefully his medicine will last until they get back. 

The two begin their journey, Yoonho excited to share his world with someone he cares about. Hosung keeps a small smile on his face as he stares at the lush forest around him. It’s so bright and beautiful. Being in the city for so long, he almost forgot what nature looked like. He wishes his world could look like this. 

After about a mile, Hosung feels his stomach twitch. He taps Yoonho’s arm and the boy quickly turns to him. Yoonho gives a concerned look, walking him to the side of the trail. Hosung takes a hard breath, trying to shake off the sudden pain. 

“I’m okay. I just need a minute.” Hosung slowly lowers himself to the ground. 

“Take all the time you need.” Yoonho reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small bottle. “Here, it’s your medicine. I brought it just in case.” 

Hosung shakily grabs the bottle and attempts to pull the cork out. A wave of pain forces him to bend in half. Yoonho opens the bottle and hands it back to Hosung. “Thank you. I’m sorry, I’m just being dramatic, I promise it’s not that bad.” 

“Hosung, you don’t have to pretend you’re not in pain to impress me.” Yoonho smirks as Hosung quickly shoots back the liquid. 

\---

“So, you can get through the fae portal?” Wooyoung’s eyes gleam as he sits across from Jacob at the dining room table. 

“Yes, but for you to come through too, you’d have to be close to death. I don’t want you to feel that again.” Jacob stares at this untouched food. “Plus,we’d have to go back to the human world and that in itself is risky.”

“I need to know if Yoonho and Hosung are okay. I don’t care what I have to do, please.” 

Jacob’s eyes water and he twitches his cheek. “I haven’t been back since the war. But I promise that you’ll be okay once you get through. The portal is only a few minutes away from the mansion.” He sighs. “Ziu will be so mad that I lost my crown.” 

Wooyoung raises a brow and tilts his head. “Mansion? Crown?” 

“Leave it to Baron and Ayno to never tell them that we are royalty. They are always so humble.” 

“What!? Seriously? Why would everyone turn on you if you’re royalty?”

“They don’t really take kindly to vampires there. We’re seen as criminals, especially me since I was made to look like a murderer. The light forest is an extremely peaceful place and I disturbed that.” 

Wooyoung sets his food down and shakes his head. “No, Xiao disturbed it. You did what you had to do to survive.” 

“I’m thankful for my brothers keeping me safe for as long as they could. I just wish they didn’t have to witness so much bloodshed.” He forces a smile and looks up to Wooyoung. “We can leave in the morning. Get some rest tonight.” 

\---

Hosung isn’t sure what he expected when they got to town. Maybe something more like the countryside. But instead there are modern storefronts and people rushing around, seemingly going to or from work. A restaurant is filled with loud voices, yelling about what sounds like some kind of sport. Hosung feels a bit awkward as the passing fae stare at him, some with confusion and some disgust. Yoonho walks confidently by his side, ready to bite back at anyone who treats Hosung poorly. 

“A-Ayno?” Hosung whispers over to the boy. 

“They don’t see humans very often. Most stay here in this world, instead. We’re almost at the market and we won’t stay long.” 

They turn a corner and Hosung is shocked by the large market, filling the street. Each vendor seems to be different. He is so distracted that he doesn’t realize Yoonho has walked ahead of him. Yoonho stops and turns, seeing Hosung rush over to him and grab his arm. 

“Sorry.” He pulls off and clears his throat. “So, what are we here for?” 

“I need seeds and fabric. Baron also wants me to look for some dragon fruit.” Yoonho states, walking up to a small stand. He greets the vendor, keeping Hosung behind him. 

Hosung stumbles into his back as two children run behind him. His cheeks turn red as he clutches Yoonho’s shirt. “Sorry.” He straightens himself but doesn’t let go, feeling his stomach twitch in pain.

\---

Wooyoung carefully walks behind Jacob as they step through the forest and into the park. It’s near midnight so the area is empty. Jacob leads him to the fountain, feeling uneasy about this whole thing. He doesn’t want to hurt Wooyoung. Ever since they’ve been friends, Wooyoung’s been nothing but nice to him. His hand anxiously plays with a dagger in his jacket pocket as they continue down the path. 

They stand in front of the fountain, staring at the coins and jewelry thrown in the bottom of it. Jacob lets out a long breath as he looks over to Wooyoung. He looks over his shoulder before bringing the weapon from his pocket. 

“I promise that everything will be okay.” Jacob seems to be reassuring himself more than Wooyoung. “Are you ready?” 

Wooyoung stares down to Jacob’s hand and feels his body tremble slightly. “I was the one that was supposed to kill Hosung.” 

Jacob widens his eyes as Wooyoung grabs his wrist and thrusts the dagger into his stomach. He shakes in shock and Wooyoung covers his wound to control the bleeding. Jacob grabs him and quickly pushes him into the water. Wooyoung closes his eyes and braces for impact. 

His body hits the dirt hard and he coughs from the force. Jacob pulls him in his arms and begins to run towards the mansion. Wooyoung’s face pales and he twitches in pain, burying his face in Jacob’s torso. 

\---

Heejun jumps as the front door is thrown open. He runs into the hallway and stares at the frantic boy rushing towards him. His heart pounds at the familiar face and he stumbles back.

“Jacob, you’re-” He looks down at the paling and whimpering boy in Jacob’s arms. “What the fuck happened?” 

“We needed to get through the portal.” Jacob pushes past him and Heejun follows to the dining room. The boy carefully lays Wooyoung on the table and runs out towards Heejun’s office.

Heejun lifts Wooyoung’s shirt to see the wound. Wooyoung blindly grabs his wrist and pushes it away. He opens his eyes and glares at Heejun, who jumps seeing the boy’s black eyes. “Wooyoung-let me help you.” 

Jacob rushes back in, holding Heejun’s medical kit. Heejun grabs it and takes out a large pile of gauze. He tries to stop the bleeding but again Wooyoung pushes him away. Wooyoung snarls as Jacob forces his arms down. Heejun places the gauze over the wound but is thrown back, feeling Wooyoung’s boot collide with his stomach. 

He takes a breath to calm himself before shoving his palm into Wooyoung’s chest. Wooyoung gasps and his head falls heavily against the wood. His eyes flicker, finally closing after a light emits from Heejun’s hand. A small ball of Wooyoung’s spirit floats up past his lips and his body finally lays still. 

“When I fix him up, you better tell me what the fuck has been going on.” Heejun growls over to Jacob. 

\---

Yoonho places all his items into the satchel fastened to his belt. He walks side by side with Hosung, back towards the forest path. Yoonho begins to feel his stomach twitch and worries that his potion is wearing off.

“You know,” Hosung begins to speak but pauses, feeling anxiety creep up, “you were right.” 

Yoonho looks at him and tilts his head in confusion. “About what?”

“You were cute as a human but now that I see you like this- damn.” 

Yoonho’s cheeks turn pink and he looks away, attempting to hide his smile. His hand covers his face and he lets out a soft chuckle. “Stop making me blush so much.” 

Hosung bites at his lip as he slowly laces his fingers with Yoonho’s. “But it’s cute.” 

“We haven’t even established a real relationship and-” he looks down and frowns, remembering that Hosung is still a human and will continue to age like one. “I don’t know.” 

“Are you afraid that I don’t want to be with you?” Hosung steps in front of Yoonho and places his hand softly against his cheek. “I’ve seen so much of you and you were willing to let that happen. I know I can’t be everything you want but-” 

“Hosung, stop. You are everything I want. I just-I know you’ll have to go back home and I don’t know if I can see you as often anymore.” 

Hosung bites the inside of his lip to keep himself from getting emotional. “I forgot I have to go home. I guess, in my head, I was expecting this to be my life now.” 

Yoonho’s head snaps up and he stares into Hosung’s eyes, his own getting glossy. “You can stay here!” He lowers his head and can’t help but pout slightly. “But what about your family and friends? Or your job?”

“Wooyoung is my only friend besides Baron and my family is gone. I don’t care about that job, it’s a shitty family business that I never wanted to take over in the first place.”

Yoonho smiles. “You remembered his name.” 

“Ayno, I think I love you.”

Yoonho closes his eyes and relaxes his shoulders as Hosung pulls him into a kiss. Hosung is so entranced by the kiss that he doesn’t notice his feet lifting off the ground. Yoonho wraps his arm around Hosung’s torso to keep him from pulling away. He isn’t sure what’s happening but he doesn’t want the moment to end. 

Hosung gasps against Yoonho’s lips as he realizes he is no longer on the ground. He twitches but as he lets off, Yoonho pushes his head into his shoulder. His body numbs and he digs his nails into Yoonho’s skin, wondering if he is slipping into a panic attack. 

Yoonho keeps a tight grip on Hosung, feeling his body tremble in his arms. He holds Hosung’s head to protect him. They both gasp out as they suddenly feel their bodies drop. Their bodies collide to the ground and Yoonho fears opening his eyes. Yoonho coughs and feels blood pour past his lips. He shakily wipes the blood from his mouth and grabs his chest. 

Hosung weakly pushes himself up and looks over to Yoonho. “Are you okay?” 

Yoonho coughs again and lifts his head. He widens his eyes and grabs Hosung’s arm. “Oh my god- you-” His mouth hangs open in shock. Hosung’s skin has turned a pale purple and his face is freckled with blue spots. His ears have a slight point on their ends. “You’re-”

“What?” His eyes flicker to his arms and he jumps back in surprise. “What happened?” 

He closes his eyes as Yoonho grabs at his face. “I don’t know.” Yoonho twitches. “We need to get back home.” 

\---

Heejun stares across his desk at the very alive Jacob. He isn’t sure if he should cry or slap the boy for not telling him. Jacob keeps his head down, expecting Heejun to yell at him. 

“Okay. You’re alive and Wooyoung is a vampire. What is happening here?” Heejun finally breaks the silence. 

Jacob plays with the ring around his thumb. “Xiao-” He stops and jumps as Heejun smacks his hand down on the desk. “Xiao brought me back and he turned Ace to get back at Ayno.” 

“Where were you?” 

“I stayed with my father. I wanted to come back here but the portal was closed and I was afraid to come back to the human world in case Hosung saw me again. I know it was stupid and I sould have contacted you but-”

“But what, Jacob? You’re my fucking brother. My mother raised you.” 

“I was afraid you’d still blame me for the war.” 

Heejun’s heart shatters and his mouth hangs open slightly as tears form in his eyes. “I never blamed you. I was worried sick about you. I lost so much sleep and I plotted to kill Hosung over you. I could have murdered an innocent man!” 

“I’m sorry.” 

The two look up as the door is thrown open. Yoonho rushes in and nearly collides into the desk. He grabs his chest and catches his breath before he notices the boy sitting beside him. His eyes widen and he lets out an audible gasp. He can’t look away from Jacob.

He reaches out and slowly moves to touch the boy’s shoulder. Jacob twitches as Yoonho grabs him, attempting to give him a smile. Yoonho drops to his knees and he breaks down. 

“It was true.” He cries, happy that his vision has come true. 

Jacob pulls him back to his feet and Yoonho buries himself into Jacob’s chest. He sniffles and dries his face, apologizing for crying. His face turns back to panicked shock when he remembers why he ran in. 

“Oh, right! Hosung turned into fae!” Yoonho yells out. 

“He what? How?” Heejun jumps up, not sure he heard him correctly. 

“Hosung.” Yoonho states. “Is. Fae. His skin is purple and his ears are pointed.” As he speaks, he seems to confuse himself more. “He said he loved me.” His face turns pink and he lets out a sudden yelp as he gets flustered. 

“Ayno, focus.” Heejun snaps his fingers in front of the boy’s face. “Where is he?” 

Yoonho grabs Heejun’s wrist and drags him out to the living room. Hosung scratches the back of his head as Heejun sees him. They greet each other. Heejun stands in front of him, poking his cheek. Hosung flinches back and blinks rapidly from the unexpected touch. Heejun checks to make sure it’s not somehow makeup. 

His brow furrows in absolute confusion. Hosung begins to feel awkward, almost like he is a freak, despite looking exactly like the others. He looks up as someone walks in. His eyes widen and he suddenly grabs Heejun to protect him. 

Jacob walks up to him and stares emotionlessly at him. “Interesting.” 

“You-” Hosung points before covering his mouth in shock. 

“I’m alive?” Jacob tilts his head. “I heard.” 

“Jacob, go check on Wooyoung.” Heejun orders. 

Hosung and Yoonho snap over to him. “Wooyoung? What happened??” 

Heejun rolls his eyes and sighs. “That’s not important, right now.” He points his finger in Hosung's face. "_You_\- are purple." 


	6. Chapter 6

Hosung walks out of his office building, a cup of coffee in his hand. His phone buzzes and he digs it out of his pocket. He sets the cup on the top of his car as he looks at the text. 

[Yoonho - 6:43pm]: hey...can you come over…

[Lou - 6:45pm]: yeah. everything ok?

[Yoonho- 6:45pm]: i hate being alone..

[Lou - 6:46pm]: yeah..ill be be soon

\---

Yoonho sits on his couch, legs tucked into his chest. He picks anxiously at his lips as Hosung sits next to him. Hosung is still in his suit, having come straight over after Yoonho texted.

“Thanks for being here.” Yoonho twitches a smile at him. 

“Where’s Chung Hyeop?” Hosung questions. 

“He took his vacation. I would have gone but I don’t have anyone to replace me at work.” 

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered you asked me to come over but I’m not really people’s first choice when they want to hang out with someone. What about Geumhyuk or that other guy?” 

“Heejun went with Chung Hyeop and Geumhyuk works overnights.” 

Hosung looks at the floor then back up to Yoonho. "This has been bothering me for a few days now." He takes a large breath, feeling his stomach twist from anxiety. "What is that scar from?" 

Yoonho puts his feet down and slowly crawls over to Hosung, resting his head on his lap. He wraps his arm around Hosung’s waist and takes a deep breath. “My father tried to kill me.” 

_Yoonho trembles, his top lip twitching. His face pales as he stares over to his father. The man pulls an iron dagger from Yoonho’s abdomen, seemingly unphased by stabbing his own son. Tears begin to fall from Yoonho’s cheeks as blood pours from his lips. _

_“You want to live with that murderer, you will die with him.” _

_Yoonho’s cries louder and with the last of his strength, he swings his sword into the air. He screams out and closes his eyes, feeling the blade impact into the man’s chest. The last thing he remembers before passing out is a swarm of hands grabbing him and pulling him away._

Hosung wraps his arms around Yoonho’s torso and pulls him up into his chest. Yoonho curls into him, resting his head on Hosung’s shoulder. He closes his eyes and smiles from the warmth of Hosung’s body. A whimper leaves his throat and he trembles slightly. 

“It’s okay, I’m here.” Hosung tries to comfort him. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

“You didn’t know.” Yoonho sniffles. 

Hosung runs his hand over Yoonho’s hair to calm him down. “Have you eaten today?” 

The boy shakes his head and stares up to Hosung with a pout. “I’ve never eaten alone.” 

“Let’s order in.” He tilts his head, giving Yoonho a soft smile. “Okay?” 

\---

“Geumhyuk. Come here.” Heejun calls into his office, gesturing for Geumhyuk to follow him. 

Geumhyuk sets his book down and walks out to the hallway, meeting Heejun. “Something wrong?” 

Heejun shakes his head and leads him down the hall to the room Hosung previously laid in. He opens the door and ushers Geumhyuk in. The older boy is shocked to see Wooyoung lying peacefully in a bed of spring flowers. He steps forward, surprised by the spirit orb flying towards his face. 

“What happened?” Geumhyuk notices the gauze on the boy’s abdomen. 

“Heal him.” Heejun commands. 

Geumhyuk turns to him and raises an eyebrow. “What?” 

“I want you to heal him. Go ahead and try.” 

Geumhyuk slowly steps towards Wooyoung, his palm sweating as he sits down beside him. He wonders how he's supposed to heal Wooyoung. "Where's the med kit?" 

Heejun keeps an emotionless gaze. "You don't need it." 

“I don’t-” 

Geumhyuk looks back down to Wooyoung and shakily hovers his hand over his wound. He closes his eyes and concentrates on his palm. Heejun watches closely behind him. Geumhyuk’s hand shakes and he feels his palm begin to heat. He opens his eyes and is surprised to see a bright light fill the space between him and Wooyoung. 

“Don’t pull away. Concentrate.” Heejun tells him, stepping closer in case Geumhyuk backs out. 

The light brightens and Geumhyuk shuts his eyes once more, feeling his body suddenly chill. He takes a long breath and slowly presses down on the gauze. Wooyoung’s abdomen twitches and his spirit orb flies over, absorbing into his chest. 

Geumhyuk jumps back as Wooyoung gasps awake. Wooyoung coughs violently, grabbing his wound. 

“Ziu-” Geumhyuk blinks, staring at his hand in shock and confusion. 

“You’ve always been a healer but you’ve been too afraid to test it.” Heejun looks over to Wooyoung, who is staring over with wide eyes. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’ve been stabbed.” Wooyoung blinks. “Where are Hosung and Yoonho?” 

\---

Chung Hyeop walks past the door to the garden, stopping and turning to look back out the glass. He pushes out and storms over to the strange figure standing in his garden. The figure turns and Chung Hyeop stumbles back in surprise. 

“Oh- Hosung?” He tilts his head, confused by the boy’s purple and blue skin.

“Baron-ah!” Yoonho yells out, running from a shed, carrying a small bag of potting soil. 

Chung Hyeop points to Hosung and raises a brow. “What is this?”

“No idea! He’s fae now.” Yoonho drops the bag on the ground and smiles. “It just happened.” 

“Ah,” Chung Hyeop nods, keeping the furrow in his brow, “Wooyoung’s awake and wants to see you both.” 

Hosung and Yoonho share a glance before rushing into the house. They make their way down the hall, Hosung feeling anxious about seeing Wooyoung. 

The two walk into the room, Yoonho leading the way. Wooyoung sits in the bed, keeping his head down and fidgeting with his fingers. He sighs, hearing the door close and steps getting closer. 

"I'm sorry." Wooyoung's cheek twitches as his eyes flicker up. A small gasp escapes the back of his throat, staring at Hosung's purple skin. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Wooyoung-" Yoonho jumps forward, grabbing Wooyoung's shoulder, almost afraid he'll attack him. 

"Ace." He corrects him quietly. 

"What happened?" 

Wooyoung doesn't look away from Hosung, blinking tiredly. "I poisoned you." His chest aches as he turns to Yoonho. "I shot you." He attempts to hide the tears welling in his eyes. "I made a mistake, I let my emotions take over me. I'm so stupid. I don't deserve to be alive. I just wanted to know you were okay." 

Yoonho feels his throat tighten and trembles. "Why?" 

"I was jealous. I didn't want to lose Hosung and I didn't want you to interfere." He buries his face in his hands and chokes a sob. "But you two are so happy together, you didn't deserve any of the pain you were in."

"Wooyoung-" Hosung steps forward, bringing Yoonho behind him. "Did you get Xiao to hurt me?" 

"No! He forced me to do everything, I had no control. I don't want to be like this anymore. I don't care that he's dead, he made me a monster." 

Yoonho stares into space, his body twitches. "Xiao's dead?" 

Wooyoung nods. "Jacob killed him."

Yoonho lets out a shaky breath before covering his mouth and running out, down the hallway. Hosung steps closer to Wooyoung but stops as the older stands. Wooyoung stares past Hosung. 

"I don't expect you to forgive me. I don’t want you to. Don't worry, I'm going back home tomorrow. I'm glad you're okay and happy." Wooyoung tightens his hand into a fist, digging his nails into his palm. 

Hosung grabs his arm as he attempts to walk away. "You were either going to kill a depressed man or help him find happiness. I'm sorry things didn't work out differently but I want to keep things civil." 

"If you ever need your americano fix, you know where to go." 

The two twitch a smile and Wooyoung slowly pushes Hosung's hand off. Hosung turns and walks out to look for Yoonho. 

\---

Hosung and Yoonho sit on the floor, food spread around them on a large mat. Yoonho can't hide his smile as he stares at Hosung. The boy refused to let him pay for his half of the meal and even got extra for later. 

Yoonho grabs the liter of coke and pours himself a cup. He feels less anxious with Hosung here. The potion won't wear off for many more hours. And Hosung seems to enjoy being here with Yoonho, too. 

Hosung looks up and catches Yoonho staring. He smiles over and hands him a container. "Make sure you're full tonight." 

"I wish you could stay here tonight." Yoonho lowers his head and picks at his lip. 

"Do you work tomorrow?" 

The boy shakes his head and chuckles lightly. "The bank is closed on the weekend." 

"Ah-" Hosung nods, "I forgot. My office is closed, too."

Yoonho's head perks up and he grabs Hosung's arm. "That's perfect! We can hang out. If you're not busy." 

"I'm free." He smiles. "I'm always free if you need me." 

\---

Yoonho throws the door to Jacob's room open, frightening the boy inside. He runs over, his eyes wide and is seemingly out of breath. 

"You killed Xiao?" He asks with a sharp inhale. 

Jacob nods. "I told him if he ever came back, I'd kill him. He hurt you again." 

"What about the boys? Am I free?" 

Jacob stands and wraps his arms carefully around Yoonho's shoulders. "They're gone. You're free." 

Tears drop from Yoonho's cheeks as he tightly hugs Jacob back. "Thank you." He closes his eyes and sobs in his friend's shoulder, letting out a barrage of thank you's. 

Hosung steps carefully in the doorway and stares over at the two. Jacob looks to him and slowly nods. He pulls Yoonho off and helps him dry his face. Jacob turns him towards Hosung. Yoonho smiles and begins to cry again, running into Hosung's arms. 

"I'm free." He muffles into Hosung's neck. "You're safe." 

"Hey, let's go finish the garden before it gets dark. Okay?" Hosung pets the back of his head, keeping a close eye on Jacob. 

Jacob lowers his head and sits back down at his desk, trying to pretend he isn't there so Hosung doesn't feel afraid. When he looks back to the doorway, the two are gone. 

\---

Yoonho and Wooyoung walk down the path away from the mansion, towards the portal. They barely speak a word to each other, despite both wanting to say something. Wooyoung feels a rush of depression as he sees the portal in the distance. Yoonho stares forward, trying to remind himself that Wooyoung is still a friend. Even if he is a vampire now that clearly can’t control his emotions. He doesn’t want to hate him, he doesn’t want to be afraid of his long time friend. 

The two approach the portal and Wooyoung hesitates to step closer. He turns to Yoonho and lowers his head. 

“I hope I don’t disgust you. I don’t want you to hate me.” He speaks almost in a whisper. 

“Keep in touch with Jacob. He will help you a lot.” Yoonho twitches. “The portal between the dark and light forest will be opened again so you won’t be hurt if you need to come back.” He smiles and tugs at Wooyoung’s arm. “And when you do visit again, you better bring some chocolate croissants.” 

Wooyoung chuckles and nods. “I promise.” 

He closes his eyes as Yoonho hugs him. Yoonho’s body trembles against his. “I trust you, Ace. Don’t make me regret that.” 

Yoonho pulls away and without another word, Wooyoung slowly walks through the portal. The sun shines brightly as he walks out of the forest, the opposite side from the dark forest. Wooyoung awkwardly stares at the people enjoying the park, blissfully unaware of the worlds only a few feet away that they can’t see. He slowly walks home, keeping a hand on his stomach. 

\---

“I know tensions have been high lately, so I made some blue lotus tea.” Chung Hyeop sets a cup in front of everyone as they sit around the dining room table. He sits in his respective spot beside Yoonho and looks to Hosung. “If you haven’t had it before, I suggest you drink it slowly.” 

Hosung grabs the cup and smells it, a bit caught off guard by the strong scent. “What is it?” 

“It’s a flower that gives a calming effect. It grows in the human world as well.” He smiles. “Don’t worry it’s safe. I sweetened it so it isn’t as bitter.” 

Everyone thanks Chung Hyeop and slowly take their drinks. Hosung is slightly hesitant but once he sips it, he is less afraid. The honey used to sweeten it covers most of the strong taste. Within a few minutes, his shoulders begin to relax. He didn’t even know he was so tense. 

The boys relax and eat their lunch in silence. Hosung feels as if he could fall asleep any moment but wants to finish his meal first. 

\---

“Have you ever been to America?” Hosung asks Yoonho as they eat. 

Yoonho sets his cup of coke down and chuckles. “I’ve never been out of the country aside from home. But I have my passport in case I have to travel for work. Have you?” 

“I used to live there. I’ve lived in a lot of places. Maybe I could take you to Atlanta one day.” 

The boy smiles brightly and grabs at Hosung’s arm. “That would be amazing!”

Hosung gets his phone out and shows Yoonho old photos of when he lived in the US. Yoonho is amused by how young Hosung looks in the photos. He wishes he could show him what he looked like as a child but all his photos are back home. 

Yoonho leans on Hosung’s shoulder, his anxiety practically nonexistent. Hosung looks over to him and wraps his arm around Yoonho’s torso, pulling him closer. He feels his stomach twist, afraid that he is getting too close to Yoonho. He doesn’t want Yoonho to get attached when he is going to die. But he likes the butterflies he gets every time he's around Yoonho and the way the boy smiles at him. 

He keeps his eyes on Yoonho, softly placing his hand on the boy’s cheek. Yoonho closes his eyes and leans into his touch. Hosung pulls Yoonho closer and rests his forehead on his own. The two stay like this for a few moments, neither of them used to such soft touches. Hosung uses his head to lift Yoonho’s up and softly kisses his lips. 

Yoonho pulls away, despite not really wanting to and stares into Hosung’s eyes. “I hope you aren’t just messing with my heart.” 

Hosung’s lip twitches and he frowns. “I want you to trust me, Yoonho. I’m not that type of person.” 

“I’m sorry. I do trust you.” 

“Tell me what’s bothering you.” 

Yoonho bites the corner of his mouth to keep from getting emotional. “I’m afraid to be happy.” 

Hosung lowers his head and sighs. “I understand, I am too.” He hugs Yoonho tighter. “But it’s better to keep ourselves happy than sit in depression and do nothing. Until the inevitable happens, why don’t we make ourselves happy?” 

\---

Chung Hyeop and Yoonho pick at green beans from the garden, throwing them into a basket. They talk about going to towne later to buy the rest of their dinner before going quiet. Yoonho still thinks about Wooyoung. He’s the reason why he almost died. He could have killed Hosung. 

Yoonho looks over to Chung Hyeop and throws a green bean at him to get his attention. “We should get dessert, too.” 

“What would you like?” Chung Hyeop straightens himself and smiles over. “Do you know if Hosung likes pistachios?” 

“I have no idea.”

“Well if he does, I can make baklava.” The boy grabs the basket and places it on his hip. “It’s been a while since I made it, I’m sure everyone misses it.” 

Yoonho dusts the dirt from his robes after standing and skips over to Chung Hyeop, grabbing his arm. “Yes! Even if he hates it, you have to make it, please.” He pulls off and crosses his arms. “How come you never cooked in the human world?”

Chung Hyeop thinks for a moment and sighs. “I guess, I just didn’t have much energy to do it. I was depressed because it reminded me of home.” He gives Yoonho a soft smile, patting him on his shoulder. “But we’re back now and everything’s calmed down.” 

Yoonho frowns and feels a lump form in his throat. “When I went to towne yesterday, people were staring. They glared at me and at Hosung. I’m afraid that we came back too early- or if we should have come back at all.” 

“Ayno, this is our land, our home. We have more of a right to come back here than the people we brought here. We built this land for them to live and they turned their backs on us.” 

“I’m afraid that things will get bad again if I let Hosung stay here.” He shakily wipes a tear from his cheek and looks to the ground. “I don’t want any more blood shed.” 

Chung Hyeop wraps his free arm around Yoonho’s shoulder and hugs him. “There won’t be, okay? I promise everything is okay. Come on, let’s go.” 

\---

“Can I see your office?” Yoonho smiles over to the very groggy Hosung as he sits up from the couch. “I know this is a bit random but I’m curious about it.” 

Hosung rubs his face and shakes his head to fully wake himself up. “Coffee first, please.” 

He watches as Yoonho disappears down the hallway and quickly comes back with a large cup of coffee. “I heard you like your coffee pretty bitter so I didn’t do anything to it.” Yoonho smiles as Hosung grabs the mug. 

“Thanks. Let me wake up a bit more and then we can go, okay?” 

Yoonho nods and tells Hosung he is going to get a shower. He skips up the stairs. Hosung blinks the tiredness away from his eyes and sips at the coffee. A small smirk twitches on his lips and he lets out a quiet chuckle as he thinks about staying at Yoonho's place. The two didn't do anything and it felt nice. Just holding each other on the couch while talking about their lives. Hosung has missed that in his past relationships. Of course he knew plenty about Wooyoung but if they were together, they were most likely in bed. 

He stretches and reaches for his phone that Yoonho kept charged for him. Thankfully there aren't any emails or messages from work. Usually his assistant is good about not contacting him during the weekend unless there is a deadline coming up. 

After Yoonho's shower, he comes back downstairs to see Hosung placing his dirty mug in the sink. Hosung begins to grab for the dish soap.

"Don't worry about that." Yoonho smiles as Hosung jumps and turns. "I'll clean it later." 

"Are you ready to go?" Hosung calms his heart, walking towards Yoonho. 

Yoonho nods and the two walk to the front door to put their shoes on. After they straighten themselves back up, Hosung stops and stares at Yoonho. Before opening the door, he steals a kiss from the boy. Yoonho inhales shakily and twitches slightly, grabbing at his own arm and digging his nails into his skin. 

The office is a bit scary to Yoonho as they walk out of the elevator. Hosung flips a few switches to reveal his employee space. 

Yoonho steps forward and stares in amazement. "Wow, you own this place?" 

Hosung chuckles in amusement. "I own this floor. This space holds around 50 employees. It's a small business." 

"Do you have an office?" 

Hosung holds his arm out for Yoonho, who instinctively grabs it. "It's over here." He leads him across the office until he reaches a door. 

Yoonho smiles as they walk into the large private office, filled with filing cabinets, leather chairs and a nice wooden desk at the back wall. "I have to admit, I expected something smaller." 

Hosung closes the door and sets his keys on the desk. "It's still a bit depressing. My father liked things a bit too simple." 

"Sit at your desk!" Yoonho jumps excitedly.

He watches as Hosung takes his coat off and walks around his desk, sitting naturally in his chair. Hosung leans forward, resting his hands on the desk. 

Yoonho can't help but bite his lip at the sight of Hosung looking so powerful. His cheeks flush slightly and he gives a nervous smile. Hosung notices him and twitches a brow up. He gestures for Yoonho to come sit down. Instead of Yoonho sitting across the desk, he walks around it to Hosung's side. He leans against the wood before hopping up on top of it. 

Hosung pushes his chair back and stares at Yoonho. His hand grabs for his thigh and Yoonho twitches slightly. He pulls Hosung closer and rests his feet on the chair beside his legs. Hosung grabs Yoonho's arm and brings him down. He softly kisses him, causing them both to shiver. 

Yoonho leans back on his hands as Hosung stands, keeping his lips pressed against his. Hosung’s hand slips into Yoonho’s hair and wraps his arms around his waist. Yoonho digs his nails into Hosung’s skin, grinding his hips against his body. His head rolls back as Hosung kisses at his lips. He wraps his legs around Hosung and feels himself tremble as he slowly pushes away. 

“Sorry, I just-” Yoonho clears his throat. “I-”

Hosung gives him a warm smile and steps back, keeping his hands on Yoonho’s waist. “You don’t need to explain anything.” 

"I want you but I'm not really used to this-" 

"Yoonho, it's okay, you really don't have to explain." Hosung helps Yoonho down from the desk. "You're still cute." 

Yoonho jumps as he hears a noise and something small scratching at the door. Hosung walks over and opens the door, letting a small grey cat stride in and stretches. The cat looks up to Hosung and meows loudly for attention. 

“Bonnie, why are you awake?” Hosung leans down and pets her, scratching behind her ear. 

“There’s a cat here.” Yoonho stares in confusion and fascination. 

“She’s the office cat, there’s also Bin, her brother. They keep us sane.” 

The two walk out and the cat follows cheerfully, running off towards her food bowl. Yoonho smiles, suddenly wanting a pet of some kind. Maybe when everyone goes back to the light forest, he can get a few. 

\---

Yoonho and Chung Hyeop walk from their rooms, their swords attached to their hips. They begin to leave but are stopped by Hosung running out from the guest room. 

“Can I come with you?” Hosung asks, feeling a mix of guilt and fear for having to be alone in the house with Jacob. 

Chung Hyeop smiles and nods. “Sure but it’s raining so you may want to get a cape.” 

Hosung blinks and stares at the boy. He’s already wearing the same robe that Yoonho sewed for him days before. “I don’t have one but rain doesn’t bother me.” 

"Here," Yoonho unclasps his cloak and wraps it around Hosung's shoulders, "take mine." 

A smile creeps across Hosung’s lips as his cheeks flush. He pulls the hood over his head and clutches the fabric. The three walk out to begin their journey. 

They reach the towne, happy that the rain has slowed to a trickle. Chung Hyeop and Yoonho lead the way to the market, Hosung walking slowly behind with his head down. He tugs on the hood of the cloak, hiding his face. 

Chung Hyeop greets a vendor, asking for a pound of pistachios. The woman nods and begins to ready with order, eyeing the boy standing awkwardly behind him. 

“Ah, your highness- do you know the man behind you?” The woman leans closer, whispering as she hands him the bag. 

Chung Hyeop simply smiles,placing a gold coin into her palm. “Yes, ma’am, he is a new family member.” 

“Oh! My apologies.” She bows, craning her head to get a better look at Hosung. “I didn’t mean to judge, sir.” 

The three smile and bow back to her before making their way out of the market. Yoonho pushes into a small coffee shop and is hit with the familiar scent. He knows he won’t find special drinks or desserts here but he is simply looking for beans anyway. Hosung can tell he doesn’t know what he is looking for and chuckles. 

Yoonho turns to him and pouts. “What?” 

“Do you need help?” Hosung smiles as Yoonho nods. He scans the shelf but stops when he realizes most of the coffee is not from his world. “Oh- well, here. This might be good.” He grabs a bag after smelling the sample below it. “It seems closest to what’s at Szeret.”

“We’ve spent too much time together.” Yoonho crinkles his nose. “I’ve become predictable.” 

Hosung chuckles and hands the coffee beans to Yoonho, who takes it up to the counter. A man greets them all before checking them out. Yoonho hands him a silver coin and thanks him. They all leave and Chung Hyeop leads the way back to the forest. 

The three walk side by side. Hosung's feet begin to hurt but he doesn't complain, knowing he's just not used to walking everywhere like the others are. 

Chung Hyeop stares forward, seemingly deep in thought. However, he is distracted by low whispers in the distance. Thoughts from someone. His lip twitches as he hears more. Yoonho jumps as the boy suddenly steps behind him and grabs his shoulders. He turns to look, seeing Chung Hyeop gasp and collapse to the ground. His eyes widen, staring at the arrow sticking from Chung Hyeop's back. 

"Baron!" Yoonho collapses to his knees and attempts to grab the arrow, the iron burning his hand. Tears form in his eyes, watching Chung Hyeop twitch in pain. "No-why-" His voice shakes as he digs his nails into the ground. 

"I promised to protect you." Chung Hyeop trembles, the iron searing his body. 

Hosung looks around, trying not to panic. He rushes over to Chung Hyeop and pushes Yoonho away. Yoonho holds his breath, watching Hosung carefully pull Chung Hyeop into his arms. His arm touches the iron, causing it to burn but he doesn't pay attention. Yoonho runs along with him as they rush back to the house. 

Yoonho can't help but cry out as he hears Chung Hyeop struggle. He’s never heard him in so much pain before and he can’t do anything to help him. 

They are relieved to see the stone pathway just ahead. Yoonho rushes down the path, nearly tripping on the stones. Despite knowing no one can hear him, he yells out for Heejun.

Chung Hyeop weakly looks up to Hosung and shivers. His head weakly drops back down, looking over to Yoonho. 

_Ayno..watch out_

"Yoonho!" Hosung tells out, stopping as he watches an arrow fly past his head. 

Yoonho turns around and gasps out. He stares at the arrow. Instead of flying it into his chest, it is frozen in place. His eyes flicker up to Hosung. 

Chung Hyeop lays on the ground and Hosung holds his hand out. He lowers his arm and looks at his palm in shock. The arrow drops to the dirt and Yoonho stumbles back. Not having the time to figure out what he just saw, he turns back and runs through the door. Hosung scoops Chung Hyeop back into his arms and rushes in as well. 

He follows the panicked footsteps towards Heejun's office. Chung Hyeop's face has paled and he finds it difficult to keep his eyes open. His head falls backwards as they go through the doorway. Hosung sets Chung Hyeop on the desk on his side. He stares down at the blood that dripped on his arms and begins to feel lightheaded. 

Heejun's hand burns as he touches the arrow. "Fuck-" He looks over to Geumhyuk. "I need you to pull this out. Quickly." 

"Is that a good idea?" Geumhyuk worries about making the wound worse. 

"The only thing killing him right now is the iron. I can't touch it! You have to do it for me!" 

Yoonho turns around and buries his face in Hosung’s chest as Geumhyuk grabs the arrow. He closes his eyes and flinches hearing Chung Hyeop yell out in pain. Hosung wraps his arms around Yoonho, resting his hand on his head. 

Hosung turns when the door opens. He jumps and holds his hand out to stop whoever from coming in. Jacob gasps as his body flies into the hallway, his back hitting the wall hard. Everyone freezes, Heejun staring at Hosung with wide eyes. 

“What-What did you just do?” 


	7. Chapter 7

“So, I’m curious again.” Hosung yells from his closet as he changes from his now wrinkled suit. 

Yoonho sits on his bed and smiles. “Shoot.” 

“How’d you get a passport and your license if you’re not from this world?” 

“Ah, the government knows about us.” 

Hosung walks out, throwing an old grey college shirt over his head. “What? Really?” 

Yoonho nods. “They’ve known for awhile. When we first got here, we met with an agent and he set us up in the system, got us our ID’s and faked our past if we wanted higher education.” 

Hosung sits beside Yoonho and looks down to his own shirt. “You go to college?” 

“Yup, for business and economics. Heejun got a medical degree and the others decided not to go. What did you go for?”

“Business management, I wanted to be an actor and now I run an advertising company instead.” He shrugs. “Whatever pays the bills.” 

Yoonho can’t help but laugh, amused. “I know you’ve paid your bills easily.” 

Hosung feels a slight flush to his cheeks as he remembers Yoonho has access to his account information. “I live comfortably.” 

“Don’t worry, I don’t think of you differently knowing you’re wealthy. You’ve earned it.” 

“Ah, I appreciate it.” He rubs the back of his head and turns to look at the wall. 

“It was obvious from the beginning that you’re rich, Hosung. This place is very lavish and you seem to wear expensive clothes often.” 

Hosung scoff and smiles. “I grew up with a lot of that stuff.” 

“Do you regret it? Being rich?” 

“Not at all. My family built our reputation from nothing. It took years to get us to this point but-” He throws his head back and rolls his eyes. “Advertising is so boring.” 

Yoonho nods, scrunching his nose. “Did you go to a fancy private school?” 

“Yeah. But I travelled a lot as a kid because of the business so I didn’t have many friends.” 

He jumps as Yoonho suddenly grabs his arm and looks over. “You have me now at least! And Chung Hyeop!” 

A smile creeps across Hosung’s lips and he wraps his arm around Yoonho’s shoulder. “Let’s go get some lunch.” 

  
\---

Chung Hyeop’s head falls backwards as Heejun forces his spirit from his body. Heejun sighs and asks Geumhyuk to carry Chung Hyeop to the other room. He stops and stares at Hosung, grabbing his arm and pulling him out with him. 

Yoonho slowly walks over to Jacob and helps him to his feet. "Are you okay?" 

Jacob stares in confusion, his mouth hanging open slightly. "How did he do that?" 

"Uhh, I have no clue." He clears his throat, thinking back to how Hosung was able to stop the arrow flying towards him. “It’s new.” 

"I see that." He blinks. "He shouldn't be able to do that." 

"Not at all." 

The two quickly rush down the hall towards the others. Yoonho pushes the door open and stops, Jacob nearly running into him as he comes up behind him. They stare over to Geumhyuk as he holds him hand over Chung Hyeop’s wound. A bright light emits from his palm and he trembles as he focuses on healing Chung Hyeop. 

Yoonho can’t help but look at Geumhyuk’s shirt as it slips up, exposing a gauze on his lower abdomen. He twitches and turns to Jacob, burying into his chest to keep himself from crying again. 

\---

Yoonho sits at the dining room table across from Geumhyuk. He lowers his head and sighs. 

“How did you get here, Geumhyuk?” His voice is quiet, afraid to hear the answer. 

_Geumhyuk feels his stomach twist as he stares at the fountain, drops of blood around the stone from Hosung and Yoonho’s wounds. Heejun and Chung Hyeop watch him slowly begin to break down as he thinks about Yoonho being in trouble. _

_“I think I need to be hurt to go through the portal.” He sighs, looking up to Heejun. “If Hosung was already dying when he fell in then I think that’s the key for non fae to get over.” _

_“I’m not hurting you, Geumhyuk.” Heejun glares. _

_Geumhyuk twitches and steps backwards. “Then I’ll do it myself.” _

_Chung Hyeop attempts to run after him as he rushes back to his car but Heejun stops him. He digs his nails into his palm, watching his friend getting something to harm himself with. Geumhyuk storms back a minute later, clutching a small pocket knife in his hand. Heejun stares at him emotionlessly but Chung Hyeop yells out for him to stop._

_“Just let me help.” Geumhyuk whispers to Chung Hyeop. _

_“There has to be a better way.” Chung Hyeop’s lip quivers, turning his head as Geumhyuk flicks the knife open. _

_“How?” He snaps. “We don’t have a lot of time. The cops will be here soon and I doubt Heejun has any poison in his back pocket. I just want to get to my best friend.” _

_Before Chung Hyeop can protest anymore, Heejun pushes him to the fountain. The two fight as Heejun forces him down into the water and through the portal. He slowly straightens himself and turns to Geumhyuk. His eyes widen and his pulse spikes, seeing the boy holding his hand over his stomach. Blood quickly stains his shirt and seeps past his fingers as he shoves the knife into his pocket. Geumhyuk groans, attempting to step forward but feels a rush to his head. His face pales and he sways slightly._

_Heejun catches him before he falls over and pushes him into the fountain to see if he goes through the portal. He stares in shock, watching his roommate disappear in front of his eyes. Before anyone notices, he rushes through the portal, afraid that Geumhyuk has hurt himself too much. _

\---

Wooyoung tosses to his side as he attempts to escape his nightmare. He runs down a hallway of an abandoned building, yelling for Hosung. His body seems to be moving slower than normal. In the distance, he hears cries for help, causing him to shake with anxiety. He reaches the end of the hall and flies into a room. Hosung lies on the floor, face pale and stained with blood. Standing beside him is Gyeoul and Yoonho. Gyeoul holds Yoonho’s throat tightly, smiling over to Wooyoung. 

"Kill him." The boy commands. 

Wooyoung widens his eyes as he feels a gun heavily sitting in his palm. He twitches, trying to hold himself back but Gyeoul’s magic is too strong. His eyes shut tightly and he feels his arm lift up. 

Just as he squeezes the trigger, Wooyoung jumps awake. He trembles violently, cursing when he hears a knock on his front door. His eyes water but he takes deep breaths to calm himself before answering the door. 

"Hosung?" He stumbles back, staring over to the boy standing in his doorway. "What are you doing here?" 

"I needed to come back. I fucked up." Hosung sighs before slowly walking inside. 

Wooyoung closes the door and walks over to him as he sits on the couch. "What do you mean?" 

Hosung lowers his head and tugs at his hair. "Baron got shot with an arrow and they tried to attack Ayno and all I did was hold my hand out. I didn't think it would stop the arrow. I didn't think I would throw Jacob into the wall. Why did that happen? Ziu is mad at me. I hurt Jacob and I'm not supposed to have powers. I'm not even supposed to be fae!" 

Wooyoung walks to the kitchen and grabs Hosung a bottle of water. He sits beside him, placing a hand lightly on his back. "Is Chung Hyeop okay?" 

"Yeah. He's awake." He shakes his head in frustration. "I left Ayno alone. I feel so horrible." 

\---

Hosung sits quietly on the cot beside Yoonho’s bed. He stares at the boy sleeping peacefully and feels a pain in his chest. His eyes flicker up to the clock and knows that people will be waking up soon. 

He stands and turns to Yoonho once more, making sure he doesn't wake him before placing a folded paper on the cot. 

A few hours later, Yoonho shifts awake, blinking tiredly. He turns, expecting to see Hosung still asleep but instead sees an empty spot. Pain shoots up his back as he sits up, noticing the paper. He grabs it, nearly ripping it as he unfolds it. His eyes water as he reads. 

Ayno, I'm sorry that I have to leave so suddenly but I feel it's for the best. I'm afraid of causing more trouble than I already have. I don't know what to do with the information about myself already and if I'm being honest, I'm scared of myself. I don't want to hurt anyone so it's best if I just went back home..

Yoonho throws himself out of bed and runs out of the room. He checks every room, besides the bedrooms seeing them empty. A lump forms in his throat as he attempts to hold back his tears. He jumps and turns when he hears a door open behind him. 

Chung Hyeop slowly steps towards him, concerned after hearing his cries. "Are you okay?" 

"Hosung left." Yoonho carefully buries into Chung Hyeop’s shoulder. He quickly pulls away, gasping as he has a vision. His head pounds and he stumbles down the hallway, towards the front door. "No-my other visions haven't happened yet." 

Chung Hyeop rushes to Yoonho after he collapses to his knees and blood pours past his lips. "What's wrong?" 

"Wooyoung's still going to kill him! I have to get him back!" 

Yoonho attempts to get back on his feet but falls against the wall. Chung Hyeop helps him up, walking him to the couch. He wipes the tears away from Yoonho’s cheeks and fans his face. 

"You're puking blood again." His voice cracks. 

"I don't care!" 

Chung Hyeop pulls him into a hug and holds the back of his head. "Shh, it's going to be okay. But you can't go out there right now, Ayno. It's dangerous." 

\---

Hosung steps into his living room, staring at the shattered glass scattered on the ground. All the memories of that horrible day come back and he feels his chest tighten with anxiety. His lip twitches as he forces himself to sit on the couch. He buries his face in his hands and lets out a shaky breath, feeling unexpected tears falling down his cheeks. 

His hands tremble as he thinks about Yoonho. He thinks for a moment before grabbing his keys and walking out of the loft. The streetlights seem much brighter to him that he remembers, despite only being in the light forest for a week. A headache creeps up as he continues to drive. 

He begins to wonder what he’s doing when he pulls up to a small townhouse, seeing all the lights off. A loud sigh escapes his lips as he pushes out of the car and walks up to the door. His hands tremble reaching for the handle but is surprised to see that the door is unlocked. He holds his breath and quietly pushes in, flicking the light on to the hallway and shoving his keys into his pocket. 

On the wall hangs a small picture of a group of friends from what seems like a camping trip to anyone else. But Hosung recognizes the trail, feeling a flip in his chest. He continues down the hall and climbs up the stairs. 

He’s never been to the second floor so he isn’t sure what room he’s looking for, taking his chances with the one on the left. The walls of the room are covered in posters and the bed has bank folders thrown across it along with a laptop. He slowly steps inside, feeling a small rush to his head. The bed creaks as he sits down at the edge and he stares forward at the open door. He listens to the silence and feels himself choke up. 

_I miss him.._

He closes his eyes and falls backwards. He can almost feel the warmth of Yoonho’s body on top of him, arms wrapped around his torso. His body jumps and he gasps as he suddenly sees a flash of Yoonho falling into his chest from being shot. He attempts to catch his breath but the attack comes anyway. His eyes blur and he begins to hyperventilate, desperately grabbing for any object to comfort him. He grabs the pillow and holds it to his face, letting out a muffled cry. 

“I almost lost him and I left him..” He yells to himself, beating at his leg in frustration. “I’m such a piece of shit.” 

Although his body is telling him to leave his brain forces him to stay. He continues to clutch the pillow to his chest, his head still spinning slightly. His phone begins to ring and he blindly reaches for it, placing it to his ear. 

“You left your wallet, come back.” Wooyoung tells him, flipping said wallet in his hand. 

Hosung sighs and hangs up without a word. He groans as he forces himself to sit up. 

_I should leave, anyway…_

He sets the pillow down and quietly leaves. 

Wooyoung greets him as he walks back into his apartment. Instead of just grabbing his wallet and leaving, Hosung sits heavily on the couch and stares into space. He doesn’t pay attention to Wooyoung as he walks to the kitchen and gets a glass of water. 

“Am I just supposed to go back to my life like everything’s normal?” Hosung stares, realizing he has no idea how long he’s been gone from this world. 

Wooyoung takes a drink and tilts his head before going over to Hosung. He leans down in front of him and gives a soft smile. “We’re going to go to your place for dinner. Okay?” 

Hosung slowly looks up to Wooyoung and feels his pulse spike. “You-” 

“Let’s go, now.” 

The two stand and Wooyoung leads Hosung out of the apartment, the corner of his lip twitching upwards in satisfaction with himself.

\---

Yoonho sits on his bed. He watches the clock, waiting for everyone to fall asleep. His body trembles anxiously, fearing that Hosung is in danger. He feels a familiar burn in his stomach and lurches forward before a harsh gag leaves his throat. A small line of blood waterfalls past his lips and he gasps in pain. 

He doesn't have time to sit around anymore. He rips the crown from his head and runs out of the bedroom. His footsteps are frantic but light enough to not alert sleeping bodies. But as soon as he reaches the foyer, he feels his body sting with pain. A shot of electricity runs down his spine and he cries out, falling into the door. In the distance he hears the creaking of a bedroom door open. Before anyone can catch him, he makes his exit. 

Chung Hyeop curses as he watches Yoonho slam the door shut behind him. He rushes over and pulls it back open. Yoonho runs down the stone path towards the portal. 

"Ayno! Stop!" Chung Hyeop attempts to yell to him but Yoonho ignores. "Ayno! _Shit_."

He quickly grabs his boots and tugs them on before running after Yoonho. In the distance he can hear Yoonho’s panicked breaths. 

Yoonho reaches the portal but drops to his knees, feeling something tighten around his neck. He coughs and begins to crawl the rest of the way. Chung Hyeop reaches him and pulls him away just before he goes through. Yoonho yells out and begs for him to let him go. 

"This is all my fault. Please, just let me save him." He cries, throwing his head back into Chung Hyeop's chest. A gasp leaves his throat as a flash of the future covers his vision. Chung Hyeop flinches, tightening his grip as Yoonho lets out a scream and attempts to break free once more. "Why are you doing this? Let me save him!" 

"I want you to live." Chung Hyeop only manages to whisper. He twitches before suddenly forcing Yoonho to stand again. His grip still remains but he turns the boy to look at him. Yoonho attempts to control his sobbing. Chung Hyeop gives a soft smile, knowing Yoonho is only focused on getting through the portal. "Stay safe, Ayno." 

Yoonho stumbles backwards as Chung Hyeop pushes him towards the portal. Before he goes through, he watches someone come up from behind Chung Hyeop. The older boy gasps, feeling a sharp sting in his spine. As he drops he holds his palm out, shutting the portal as Yoonho falls through.

Yoonho’s back hits the dirt hard as he lands in the forest outside of the park. He quickly gets to his feet, crying out for Chung Hyeop. 

He threw Yoonho through the portal to protect him. He heard the thoughts of that man and still pretended everything was okay. He didn't want Yoonho to be hurt so he closed the portal. He wanted Yoonho to not worry about him and help Hosung. It would be safer in the human world, anyway. 

Yoonho holds his breath and makes his way towards the park. 

\---

Hosung sits at the dining table at the top of the stairs of the loft. He looks over to Wooyoung, who eats peacefully. Wooyoung catches his glance and smiles. 

"Eat, Hosung." He gestures for him to grab his fork. 

Hosung slowly grabs it, taking a bite of his food, eyes never leaving Wooyoung. He wants to fight back but knows he can't. His heart skips a beat as Wooyoung stands, slowly walking over to him. 

"Why are you afraid, Hosung?" He twitches, resting his hand softly on Hosung’s shoulder. "Stand up." 

The boy shakes as he pushes himself up to his feet, trying his best not to show the fear he feels. Wooyoung wraps his arm around him and walks to the end of the loft. Hosung really wishes he had fixed the glass railing around the edge after his friend shattered it during a drunk night in.

"Why are you doing this?" Hosung whimpers as Wooyoung turns his body to face him. He feels his heels cradle the edge and grabs onto Wooyoung’s shirt for stability. 

"Let go of me." Wooyoung commands, feeling his grip being released from the fabric. "Thank you."

Hosung gasps as Wooyoung suddenly pushes at his chest, causing him to fall backwards. He closes his eyes and braces for the impact. A surge of electricity and pain shoot across his body as he lands. His head hits the floor and he coughs, gasping as the air leaves his lungs. He looks up to see Wooyoung calmly walking down the stairs, loudly dragging a chair behind him.

"Are you okay?" He asks, leaning in front of Hosung. "Can you stand?" 

Hosung groans, trying to crawl away. He falls flat again once Wooyoung grabs him. "Help-" He attempts to yell but coughs instead. 

"There's no need to call for help, Hosung. Sit in the chair." 

He does what he says, his body in a full tremble from pain and fear. Wooyoung tells him to stay before walking down the hall to Hosung's home office. He comes back, spinning a roll of duct tape in his hand. Without a word, he binds Hosung's hands behind his back and his feet together. 

Hosung closes his eyes and throws his head back, feeling tears drip down his face. "Please, why are you doing this?"

"I did really well controlling myself while you were gone." He throws the roll of tape onto the couch and grabs Hosung by the throat. "Then you came back and I don't want to hold back anymore. You were supposed to die by my hand and I'll make sure you won't get away again." 

“We can talk about this. You don’t need to make any harsh decisions. Just let me go, please.” 

Wooyoung’s eyes turn black and he snarls, digging his nails into Hosung’s throat. Hosung chokes at the loss of air and attempts to pull away. He gasps as Wooyoung lets go but groans, feeling a hard hit to his cheek. 

“I gave you everything, I worked with your stupid work schedule, I let you fuck other men, I cleaned your fucking house and cooked you dinner just for you to leave me for a fucking stranger! My fucking friend! And you want to talk things out?” He hits Hosung again before walking to the kitchen. Hosung watches him reach over to the knife block and grabs a random blade. “I would love to keep things civil and maybe I would have if I was still human but honestly, I love losing control.”

  
Hosung attempts to scoot the chair back as Wooyoung makes his way over again. “Wait, wait- no-stop-” 

Wooyoung grabs the back of his hair and Hosung gasps out, feeling a sharp sting in his abdomen. His shirt begins to pool with blood and he cries out in pain. He slumps forward to protect from another attack but Wooyoung pulls his back up. 

\---

Yoonho rushes up the stairs to Hosung’s loft, holding the bloody wound to his stomach. He reaches the door, cursing when he sees it’s locked. There is a faint voice when he puts his ear to the wood. 

“Hosung, can you hear me?” He beats on the door. 

Hosung lifts his head, feeling blood drip from his head. Wooyoung tilts his head after hearing the doorknob move. 

“Oh look, Yoonho’s here to save you.” His lip twitches upwards. “Should I invite him in and kill him in front of you?” 

“Yoonho, leave!” Hosung yells, attempting to hide the tremble in his voice. 

Tears well in Yoonho’s eyes as he unsuccessfully tries to open the door with his shoulder. “It’s okay, Hosung. I can help you.” 

“Please, just go! I don’t want you to get hurt! I’m begging you-” 

Hosung is cut off but another hit, the knife digging in his shoulder. Yoonho falls to his knees, feeling the pain in the same spot, crying out from the attack. His hand trembles, grabbing at the wound and staring down at the blood left on his palm. He whimpers and gets back to his feet. He weakly hits the wood again with his fist but feels his body give out. His eyes flicker and he begins to fall backwards. He catches the doorknob and pulls himself back up. 

"I'm not leaving, Hosung. I'll protect you." Yoonho leans against the door, smearing blood against the wood.

Wooyoung twitches and reaches behind his shirt, pulling a small handgun out. Hosung yells out, as he aims it to the door. He tries to break free, his yell turning into a scream as Wooyoung pulls the trigger. 

Yoonho gasps as the silver bullet pierces his body. He flies backwards and hits the floor hard, his breathing sharp from the bullet grazing his lung. His hand shakily reaches to the spot as he stares at the ceiling. 

_I’m sorry, Hosung. I failed. I love you._

Tears stain Hosung’s cheeks as he hears Yoonho collapse. He lets out a deafening scream and forces his hands out of their binding. Wooyoung grabs his arms and throws him into the wall beside the door. Before Hosung can catch his breath, he feels a stab to his thigh. 

With the last of his strength, Hosung lifts his hand up and forces Wooyoung back. Wooyoung lands on the coffee table, shattering the glass top. Hosung gets to his feet and rushes through the door. He falls to his knees, seeing Yoonho laying limp on his side, pulling him into his arms. Yoonho weakly grabs his cheek. Hosung widens his eyes, seeing light leave Yoonho’s palm. 

Yoonho gives him the rest of his strength before his head falls backwards and his eyes flicker closed. Hosung muffles his cries into Yoonho’s shoulder, knowing Wooyoung will be coming up behind him to attack. He shakes against the body in his grasp, not caring if he lives or dies in this exact moment. 

As he hears Wooyoung charging towards him, another figure rushes into the loft. Hosung turns to see Jacob grabbing Wooyoung and pulling him to the floor. They both stare at each other with black eyes, Jacob’s hand wrapped tightly around Wooyoung’s throat. 

“I thought you had everything under control?” Jacob snarls, releasing his grip enough for Wooyoung to respond. 

“I’m a great liar.” Wooyoung scoffs with an open smirk. 

“Then I wasn’t hard enough on you.” Jacob brings Wooyoung to his feet and drags him out the door. He stops and looks down at Hosung and Yoonho, twitching at the sight of his unconscious brother. “He gave you his energy. Grab him and carry him to the portal.” He yanks Wooyoung closer. "I have to go to the dark forest. I trust you to get him back home safely." 


	8. Chapter 8

Hosung sits quietly at the dinner table, the rest of the boys enjoying their dinner. He looks up when Yoonho nudges at his elbow. Yoonho gives him a soft smile.

“Are you okay?” Yoonho whispers to him, seeing Chung Hyeop’s head pop up and side eye Hosung. 

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Hosung returns the smile. 

Chung Hyeop sets his fork down and clears his throat. “Hey, we should open a bottle of wine.” He sees Hosung’s shoulders fall in relief, hearing his thoughts calm slightly. “Hosung, come help me pick something.” 

Hosung nods and slowly stands up with him. The two leave and make their way down the hall, towards the kitchen. Chung Hyeop leads him to a small wine cellar, pulling the door open. He gestures for Hosung to enter.

“Take your pick. Our wines are the same as in the human world.” Chung Hyeop lets out a soft chuckle. 

He watches Hosung scan the large selection, quietly listening to him overthink. Hosung smiles, seeing a nice bottle of burgundy. Before he grabs it he turns to Chung Hyeop. 

"Don't worry about my thoughts.." he sighs, "I'm just a bit overwhelmed by everything."

"You know, I've lived here my entire life. I didn't even know there was a human world until my mother told me about 30 years ago. When we all had to go, I was terrified of that change. Everything was new and odd. But eventually, things got better. I started to understand your world and lived my best life." Chung Hyeop looks to Hosung and smiles softly. "You'll get used to it here."

"Th-thirty? How old are you?" 

"I'll be 204 in a few weeks." 

Hosung blinks and stares in disbelief. "I-How old is Yoonho?" 

"200" 

Hosung quietly grabs the bottle of wine and shakes his head to himself. He should have known they were immortal..

The two make their way back to the dining room, Hosung impatiently waiting to pour himself a large glass of wine. Yoonho smiles over to him, placing his hand gently over the other's. He holds his glass carefully as Chung Hyeop fills it, feeling the anxiety bleed from Hosung. 

For the rest of the night, Hosung can’t stop thinking about how old everyone is. He wonders if that means he will live longer, too. It’s not like immortality is a bad thing but being a human his entire life, it’s never been a thought. He remembers thinking about his mortality when his parents passed away and his sister got sick. It was a time that reminded him that he was human. 

_Oh, god...I need to see my sister..._

\----

Jacob jumps awake, hearing Chung Hyeop yelling for Yoonho outside. He throws himself out of bed and runs down the hall, seeing Chung Hyeop running after Yoonho. 

Without thought, he chases the two, worried that something happened. Stones and twigs dig into the bottom of his feet but he pushes through the pain to reach his brothers. 

His eyes widen and he gasps as he reaches the portal. He watches Chung Hyeop fall to his knees and close the portal. A man begins to pull Chung Hyeop on his back and Jacob begins to burn with rage. He rushes forward, blindly grabbing the man from his brother. His nails dig into their throat and he snaps their neck. He drops their body on the ground before collapsing beside Chung Hyeop. 

“Baron- what-” He begins to pull Chung Hyeop into his arms. “What the fuck happened?” 

“I’ll be fine- just...help Ayno.” Chung Hyeop’s breaths are sharp but he pulls himself to his knees. “Ace is going to kill Hosung and Ayno is on his way to stop him.” He grabs Jacob’s shoulder and stands, swaying slightly. “I can make it home, don’t worry about me.” 

Jacob twitches but nods, slowly opening the portal back up. Chung Hyeop stumbles but keeps himself up as Jacob jumps through. 

\---

Hosung shakes violently against Yoonho’s body, unable to stop himself from crying. He digs his nails into Yoonho’s tunic, pulling at the fabric. A gasp leaves his throat as he finally remembers to breathe. With the strength Yoonho gave him, he stands, holding Yoonho tightly in his arms. He carefully makes his way down the stairs, stopping every few steps to twitch in pain. 

He reaches the bottom of the stairs and rushes to his car. Yoonho’s arm falls to the side as Hosung carefully places him in the back seat before hopping in the driver’s seat. He coughs and doubles over in pain, grabbing at the wound to his stomach. His hands tremble as he reaches to turn the car on. He quickly pulls away and speeds towards the park. 

The ride to the park is such a complete blur that Hosung jumps as he pulls up to the path of the fountain. He throws his body out of the car and rushes to pull Yoonho out as well. His strength begins to wear off but he pushes through his pain and head rushes to make it to the fountain. 

He whimpers as he reaches it, realizing he needs to go through the portal again. The water of the fountain calms him down enough to sit down on the edge. He lays Yoonho across his lap, pulling his head into his chest. 

“I promise I’ll get you home. You’ll be safe, okay?” Hosung whispers to Yoonho, softly petting his head. “We’ll both be okay.” 

He takes a deep and shaky breath before closing his eyes and leaning back. The water rushes over his body and he tightly holds Yoonho in his arms. He groans, feeling his back hit the ground but he quickly pushes to his feet, grabbing Yoonho. 

The trees blur passed him as he runs, not even sure where he is going. He follows a stone path that he hopes leads to the mansion. His face pales and pain shoots up his abdomen, causing him to stop and gag. He clutches Yoonho tighter and pushes forward. 

He controls his crying when he reaches the familiar pathway to the mansion. 

“We’re almost there.” He twitches, looking down to Yoonho one more time before using the rest of his strength to get to the door. 

Heejun stands up from the couch as the front door is thrown open, grabbing for his sword. He stares at Hosung and runs to grab Yoonho from his hands. Hosung sighs in relief before dropping to his knees. He attempts to calm his breathing but his vision begins to darken from the mix of pain and attempting to stop a panic attack. Geumhyuk runs from the guest room to see Hosung falling to his side and closing his eyes. 

\---

Jacob leads Wooyoung into a small house, his hands tightly gripping the other’s hair. Wooyoung groans as he is thrown to the floor. He begins to crawl away but Jacob grabs him again, pushing his shoulders to the floor. 

"Please, wait-I'm sorry! I don't know how to control myself! Help me, please!" Wooyoung stares up to Jacob, seeing fire behind his eyes. 

"You were told to see me so I could train you but you decided to fuck that off!" Jacob fights the urge to snap Wooyoung’s neck. 

"I got scared so I hoped that burying myself in my work would help. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just..lost control.." 

Jacob trembles in rage, unable to calm himself after seeing his brother in pain. He lets out a yell, punching forward, his knuckles colliding his Wooyoung’s cheek. Wooyoung groans in pain but accepts this as a punishment. He feels tears well in his eyes as Jacob slips his hand around his throat.

"I don't care if you kill me.." he whispers. "I know I deserve it." 

Wooyoung closes his eyes and relaxes his body. His tears fall from his face, onto the floor. He waits for Jacob to tear his throat out but instead feels his hand continue to rest gently on his neck. Wooyoung slowly looks up. Jacob sighs, visibly shaking as he holds himself back. 

“I have to be honest.” Jacob says quietly. “I want to rip you apart but I can’t. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve seen people act like you before or if I’m letting my feelings for you get the better of me.” 

Wooyoung stares at him, feeling his chest ache. His lip twitches. “Why me?” 

“You’ve always been a great friend. The only thing that changed you was Xiao. You wouldn’t have tried to hurt anyone, then. I know you wouldn’t have. This is why I need you to let me help you. Trust me, I know you’re stubborn but I know you don’t want to feel like a monster.” Jacob whimpers slightly at his own words. “We-aren’t monsters.” He continues his fire filled glare as flashes of Yoonho lying unconscious and covered in blood take over his vision. 

Wooyoung chokes and grabs Jacob’s wrists as his grip suddenly tightens. He kicks frantically as his site begins to darken. Jacob’s body trembles and tears well in his eyes. 

“We aren’t monsters! It took me years to gain the trust of my own fucking brother as a vampire and you want to ruin that!” 

He lets go once more and Wooyoung gasps for air. Jacob quietly apologizes, pulling Wooyoung up to sit. The two stare quietly at each other. Wooyoung then lowers his head and grabs Jacob’s hand. 

“You were never a monster, Jacob. You’re still not.” Wooyoung feels Jacob shake in his grasp. “You’re a protector and loveable. I don’t think you’re a monster. I think I am.” 

“No-” Jacob lets out a choppy breath before sniffling. “What you’re feeling is normal. We all went through it. The only reason I seem so loveable is because of my mother.” 

\---

Hosung slowly lowers himself into a large bathtub, submerging himself in hot water. He closes his eyes and relaxes his shoulders, feeling his body ache from the ease of tension. Everything is calm again. He believes he could fall asleep any moment if he wasn’t being careful enough. 

The door creaks open and Hosung flickers his eyes open, surprised by the figure standing above him. Yoonho stares down, his face pale and his eyes dark from stress. Hosung slowly sits himself up and gives a soft smile to Yoonho. 

“Would you like to join me?” His lips twitch. 

Yoonho says nothing and begins to pull at the strings of his robes. The fabric slides to the floor in layers as it is shed from Yoonho’s body. Hosung looks at the other’s thin yet strong frame. It’s definitely a body that has been through many wars but was never meant for such violence. 

The two’s cheeks both flush pink and Hosung looks to the water as Yoonho takes a step forward. Yoonho carefully steps his foot into the bath and begins to lower himself to face Hosung. He pauses, feeling his mouth hang open in confusion as Hosung stops him. 

Hosung slowly pulls him forward, placing him softly over his own body. He brings Yoonho’s shoulders back so his head rests on Hosung’s chest. Yoonho closes his eyes and sighs as Hosung runs his hand through his hair. He can’t help but twitch, feeling Hosung’s hips dig into him. Hosung turns and nuzzles into Yoonho’s neck, gently kissing the damp skin. Yoonho rolls his head back and lets out a relaxed sigh, his hand falling to Hosung’s thigh. A soft gasp escapes the back of his throat as Hosung rests his own hand on his hip bone. Hosung pulls his chin up and collides their lips together. Yoonho brings his arm up and carssess the side of Hosung's head. 

Hosung carefully pushes Yoonho away, and begins to stand. He steps out of the bath and grabs Yoonho’s hand to help him do the same. The two wrap cloth robes around their bodies before making their way out to Yoonho’s room. 

Yoonho sits softly on the bed, closing his eyes as Hosung gently pushes him back. He feels his heart pound against his chest. Hosung watches his cheeks flair pink, causing his heart to pound slightly in his chest. He’s never felt this way before but instead of finding it terrifying, he finds comfort in it.

“Hosung-” Yoonho breathes, pulling him down on top of him, colliding their lips together. 

Their chests press into each other and Hosung feels Yoonho’s heartbeat against him. He nuzzles into Yoonho’s neck, softly kissing at his skin. His skin prickles as Yoonho’s hands grab his hips and pull him down. “Yoonho-” He muffles against his lips. “I want you...Can I have you?” 

He shivers as Yoonho’s nails dig into him. Yoonho stares into his eyes and feels his lip quiver. A smile creeps across his lips and he wraps his fingers through Hosung’s hair. His head rolls back in pleasure as Hosung gently bites his shoulder. Hosung grips Yoonho’s thigh, pulling it up. He pulls Yoonho closer and digs his hips down slowly. Yoonho closes his eyes after Hosung collides into his lips. 

The towels slip from their bodies, Hosung blindly throwing them to the side. He gently palms Yoonho, feeling him twitch below him. 

He pushes himself up and eyes Yoonho’s nightstand. “Do you-uh-” 

Before Hosung can get the words out, Yoonho reaches up and opens the drawer. He digs and finds a small bottle, handing it to Hosung. Hosung smiles and thanks him quietly before prepping himself.

His breath hikes as Hosung lines himself up. He wraps his arms around his shoulders and pulls him down into his lips. Hosung gently places his hand on Yoonho’s cheek and begins to work his hips forward. Yoonho shivers and arches his back. He pulls Hosung closer, beginning to move along with his slow thrusts. 

Their bodies melt together and their skin begins to heat. Hosung slowly speeds his pace after Yoonho gets used to the feeling. He keeps himself steady, wrapping his arm around Yoonho’s torso. Yoonho lets out a surprised yip as Hosung rolls him to sit on top. Hosung presses his fingertips into his thighs. He stares up to Yoonho, making sure he is enjoying this. 

His stomach twitches. Yoonho buries into his shoulder and whimpers as his skin begins to prickle. He curls his hand into Hosung’s hair and tugs, causing Hosung to buck slightly. Yoonho gasps from the pleasure. His other hand rests on Hosung’s chest, his nails lightly digging into his skin. 

He can’t take it anymore, his body trembling violently. Hosung curses, pushing Yoonho’s body closer. He lets out a few staggered breaths and bucks once more before allowing himself to cum. 

The two don’t move at first, just hold each other tightly. Hosung rests his hand on Yoonho’s head and pets him gently. Yoonho just nuzzles into the crook of Hosung’s neck, calming his breath. 

Hosung finally moves and looks over to the pouting Yoonho. “I love you, Ayno.” He pulls the blanket over top of their bodies. 

Yoonho smiles and chuckles quietly. “I love you, Hosung.” 

“How come you don’t call me Lou?” He asks, pushing Yoonho’s bangs from his face. 

“Would you like me to? I just figured you’d respect me using your real name.” 

Hosung’s lip curls upwards. “I respect whatever you want to call me.” 

“I want to call you mine-” 

Yoonho curls into Hosung’s side, wrapping his arm around his torso. Hosung softly kisses the top of his head and closes his eyes. 

“I am yours.” 

“Hosung-” Yoonho suddenly sits up and moves to the edge of the bed. “I need to know if you’re really committed to this relationship because fae stay together forever once they find the right mate.” He begins to fidget with his fingers, staring at the ground. His eyes focus on the wood as Hosung places his hand on his back. “I don’t want that to scare you because forever-”

“It really means forever. I know.” Hosung wraps his arm around Yoonho’s torso and pulls him into a hug. “Baron told me how old you were and I have to admit, it scared me at first but that doesn’t change who you are.” He kisses his shoulder. “I ‘ve been thinking about it for a while and I figured if I’m fae now, then I’ll be able to live long with you.” 

Yoonho can’t contain his smile at Hosung’s words. He turns and tightly embraces Hosung. “Not to rush things but since you’re perfect for me, I can get married any time.” 

Hosung snorts and brings Yoonho back down into the pillows. “Would you like that? We can. It can be as big as you want. I have some silver back home if you need money- you’re a fucking prince of course you have the money.” 

\---

Yoonho holds Hosung’s hand tightly as they walk through the portal back to the human world. Knots form in Hosung’s stomach. He hasn’t visited his sister since he met Yoonho. Now he’s going to walk into the hospital room with a random man and tell her that he is dating him. She’s always known he was gay and has always been accepting but for some reason, he fears she won’t now. 

The two make their way down the sidewalk, letting go of their hands once in public. The hospital is only a few blocks away so they vote to walk. Yoonho feels awkward, having never been to a traditional human hospital. He’s never had a reason to with Heejun being a healer. 

He follows behind Hosung through the hallways, finding the smell of rubbing alcohol and rubber slightly sickening. Every floor has a large desk with people in scrubs and business attire messing with papers and typing wildly at their computers. A phone rings for longer than Yoonho feels is necessary before someone picks it up. 

Hosung comes up to a door and carefully pushes it open. The two quietly make their entrance and Yoonho immediately feels his heart hurt. A young woman lays in a bed, a tube strapped across her face and IV drips to her right. Her skin is pale and her lips are cracking, Yoonho noticing her gown is slipping from her shoulder, revealing a skinny frame. 

The woman opens her eyes and gives a warm smile to her brother. Hosung reaches the side of her bed and takes her hand. She instantly notices the awkward boy standing in the corner behind Hosung. 

“Hey- uh, this is Yoonho.” Hosung clears his throat and grabs back for Yoonho’s hand, pulling his closer. 

“Yoonho, you look familiar.” The woman stares over to the stranger. “Do you treat Hosung-ie well?” 

Yoonho’s eyes sparkle from the question and he smiles brightly, nodding in excitement. “Of course!” 

“Good. Continue to do that when I’m gone.” She somehow keeps her happy gaze. “We can’t all be immortal.” 

“W-what?” Hosung feels his heart jump from her words. He grabs Yoonho’s hand and squeezes it to signal his fear. 

_Hosung...I have something to tell you…_

“Yoonho, what’s your real name?” The woman takes a hard breath, her voice and glare suddenly becoming serious. 

Hosung’s brow furrows as Yoonho pushes him to the side and grabs his sister’s hand instead. Yoonho bows his head and twitches his cheek. 

“Ayno.” Yoonho answers with tears forming in his eyes. 

Hosung snaps out of his confusion and widens his eyes. “What-I-How did you know?” 

“Princess, please-let us heal you. I can bring Ziu here and you can see Baron again-” Yoonho pulls her hand to his chest. 

“Baron.” She closes her eyes and her lips crack as her smile widens. “He’s alive?” 

Yoonho nods enthusiastically and begins to shake in a mixture of excitement and anxiety. “Yes! We are back home, now. You can come back with us and he’ll be so happy to see you. Everything is good again and it’s safer.” 

“I’d really like that.” 

Hosung pushes Yoonho to the side and stares down at his sister in complete shock. “What the fuck are you saying? Are you saying you’re fae? Princess? When you said you went to Poland to study did you really go to another world? Why did you keep this a fucking secret?” 

His sister weakly pushes herself up, Hosung instinctively helping her. “Mom wanted you to live a normal life. She was going to tell you but-” She sighs. “We were royalty in the fae world, allies with the light forest. That’s how I met Baron. The last time I saw him was before the ambush and I just assumed he was killed. I came back home and lived my life here in depression. Dad always pushed for me to get married but since he never knew about us, I couldn’t tell him about my husband.” 

“What-the fuck..” 

Yoonho suddenly gasps in excitement and leans back into the circle. “Princess, you have to come back home because you have to come to our wedding!” 

“Oh-” Hosung feels his skin prickle with anxiety that his sister won’t like hearing about him getting married. “Yeah, uh, if you can..” 

“Hosung, I’m so proud of you. Of course, I’ll be there.” She looks back to Yoonho. “Tell Ziu to come here and I’ll talk to my agent to get me out of here.” 

Yoonho nods. Hosung has to sit down to process everything he’s heard. He’s happy that his sister won’t die young but he can’t wrap his head around the rest. His mother’s side of his family has been fae this entire time and he never knew. Along with that, his family is royalty and his sister is married to Baron. Though he should feel relieved, he feels like passing out from the amount of stress these past few months have given to him. 

“I need a drink.” 


End file.
